Hero's Legacy
by 101stellastella
Summary: Vinland's dead and Native America doesn't want to raise her children, so she sets them on their way into the world. Alfred loses everything during his childhood, at least everything he thought truly mattered. It's not until one event pushes him to use his magic as a way to cut himself off from the world. Canada and England despair over their lost. Sequel to Vinland's Legacy.
1. Chapter 1

Now repeat what I just said boys. I need to know you got this down," said Native America. "Strangers are friends you haven't met yet?" asked America, blue eyes wide as he raised his hand to answer the question. Aiyanna sighed at the boy who looked about four. "No Alfred. Nothing like that," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Matthew raised his hand, waiting to be called on. "Yes Kanata?" she asked him.

"Don't talk to the pale faces. Stay near the camps and our siblings but don't get in their way. Strangers are dangerous and could hurt us like they hurt our people," said Matthew. "My people, Matthew, but correct. I don't want you going near the strange ships. Not until I've found the people I'm looking for. Matthew that goes especially for you since you seem to be feeling their presense more than Alfred right now," she said.

"That's because they haven't found me yet!" said Alfred, raising his hand after speaking. "Dyami...For the last time, you raise your hand _before_ speaking. But yes, you're correct. You're old enough to wander around on your own. I only promised your mother I would take care of you until you're old enough to hunt and forage on your own. If you need help, rely on each other and call me second. And if I call you, you don't delay in coming, understand?" asked Aiyanna, arms crossed.

The two boys nodded, small leather sacks filled with their worldly posessions at their feet. "Good. Now the people you may come to represent are arriving on the east coasts soon. I suggest you observe. I will alert your mother's brothers that you two are still alive, though I don't know how. How many times have I had to pull you two out of the river?" asked Aiyanna, completely done with raising the two of them. "Seventeen times...Alfred keeps thinking he can catch fish with his hands and I try to help him…" said Matthew quietly.

She nodded and gestured for them to stand up before hugging them. "Kumajiro will look after you two, but Alfred remember that he's Matthew's. He will always go after Matthew first so you have to be prepared to do something yourself. You need to find an animal of your own to bond too. Cheveyo will check in on you from time to time. Keep each other safe. Remember, Vinland is watching you and your mother will be disappointed if you fight," she said. "Yes ma'am," the twins said at the same time, tearing up a little.

"What'd I say about tears? Now go on before I tear up as well," she mumbled with a small smile. The boys nodded and ran off, holding hands. Aiyanna sighed and glanced at the fire where a ghostly figure only she could see was standing. "You don't have to be so gruff with them. They're just children. I still don't think they should be on their own so soon…" said Vinland. Aiyanna rolled her eyes. "Dagny, you're lucky I watched over your children for this long. Originally I was just going to abandon them once they could speak," she said.

Dagny huffed, knowing that was only half true. "Fine but...I don't know. I still think Alfred needs someone to help him out...I have a bad feeling," she said. "If one twin is fine, they both will. You haven't had any problems about Matthew, have you?" asked Aiyanna. Dagny hesitantly shook her head. "No...His adoptive father should be finding him soon...but I'm still worried," said Dagny.

"I've done this tons of times. Trust me. You always feel bad when you let your kid go at first but when you check up on them, you'll find that they're happy and healthy on their own. It's a good way to prepare them for life when you're gone. And since you were never really there for them, they'll be needing it now more than ever. Besides, you said the father was going to be coming for them soon," said Aiyanna.

Dagny sighed. "He is but...I'm still not good at measuring time. I gotta go. The spirits only gave me until the boys were gone to be here. Keep a good eye on them and take care of yourself Aiyanna. I can't thank you enough for looking after them," said Dagny, resisting the urge to point out how Aiyanna treated the boys differently from her own children. "Really Aiyanna...You kept them safe and out of danger all this time...I appreciate it," she said before disappearing.

Aiyanna huffed. "They'll be fine...Now it's time to find Tino and Berwald and tell them to take the boys off my hands. Dagny can't understand the conflict and mixed feelings of raising your future replacements," she grumbled before calling for Cheveyo. The buffalo waddled over to her, slowly munching on grass. She smiled softly as she pet the buffalo's head. "Let's go visit Maya. It would be nice to have a little break from all of this for once," she muttered. The buffalo whinnied and took off once she got on.

"What do you think our people are gonna be like Kanata? Oooh maybe they will hav cookies! Do you think we'll really find our daddy? What do you think he's like? Can we have more of the sweets Etsi (mother) made for us?" asked Alfred, having walked with his brother for about four days now. Matthew gave his brother a wearied look. "I-I don't know Dyami...But I think you should lay off the sweets. We're going to run out of food soon and you've already eaten most of the sweets," he said.

Alfred pouted. "But I'm huunngggrrryy and your hand is getting all sweaty. Are we almost to the coast yet?" he asked. Matthew shook his head. "No more sugar. Kumakoko promised to get us some fish if we behave. He really wants to get up north because he think it's really warm in your land. "My land isn't that warm! But I like fish! As long as we get to the east coast. I don't wanna go north into your lands...I feel like I should go south," said Alfred.

Matthew frowned. "B-But don't you want to stick together?" he asked. Alfred nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I do Mattie! I'm not saying I want to go now. It's just a really faint tugging right now. Like you felt last decade when you felt you needed to go north. We'll go together! I haven't ever been to the coasts before. Or the south. Etsi didn't let me as much as I wanted to. It'll be a lot of fun!" said Alfred excitedly. Matthew hesitated before nodding. "I guess so…" he muttered.

"It'll be really cool! We'll be explorers! We'll have a lot of stories to tell Daddy about all of our adventures! I'ms ure we'll find a lot of cool stuff," said Alfred, continuing to ramble happily. Matthew sighed but nodded. "I guess you're right. We should stop for the night Alfie. I'm getting hungry too," he said. Alfred nodding before letting go of his brother's hand and setting up the tent Native America had helped the two of them make.

While Alfred set up the camp, Matthew started the fire and Kumajiro wandered over to a nearby stream to fish. Alfred hummed as he finished the tent and started pulling out their blankets. Matthew suddenly cried out, tearing up. "What's wrong?!" asked Alfred, running out with a stick, looking around for whatever made his brother cry. "I-I got a splinter! Get it out!" whimpered Matthew.

Alfred dropped the branch and ran over to his brother. "Where is it?" he asked. "In this part," said Matthew, tearing up as he pointed to the fleshy part between his thumb and finger. Alfred frowned as he squinted, looking for the piece of wood. "Hmm, I know how to do this!" said Alfred. When Matthew opened his mouth to protest, Alfred stuck a cookie in his mouth and quickly pulled out the splinters with his nails. Matthew blinked back tears in surprise.

"There you go!" said Alfred cheerfully. Matthew quickly finished the cookie before throwing his arms around his brother. "Thanks Alfie," he said with a smile. Alfred grinned. "I'll go ahead and take care of the fish Kuma's bring back. You just sit down and make sure the fire doesn't go out," he said, running over to the river. He and Kuma scaled the fish before Alfred ran back and started roasting them over the fire.

Matthew sucked on his hand until the fish were done and he was handed his food. "Feel better Mattie? You can have the last cookie if it still hurts," said Alfred. "We should save the cookie and share it when we get to where we need to go," said Matthew. Alfred thought about it before nodding and hugging his brother. "Just think Mattie! In a couple of weeks we'll be at the coast and we'll be able to see the people we're going to represent!" he said excitedly.

Matthew forced a smile. _Alfred doesn't-Alfred doesn't know yet. Etsi never told him?! How am I going to tell him that I'm going to have to leave him soon?_ Matthew jumped when Alfred squeezed his hand. "Don't look so worried Mattie. If Daddy doesn't like us like Etsi's kids, we have each other. Always," he said. _How does Alfred know exactly when and what to say to make me feel guilty?_

"Y-Yeah. Together forever. And Daddy will like us. Etsi's kids are just mean like Etsi," said Matthew, the last in a huff. Alfred smirked at his brother's rare show of disdain. "It doesn't matter. You're more fun to play with than Sioux and Winnoshiek," said Alfred. Matthew grinned. "Your games are more fun than theirs. I always win at hide and seek with them. It got boring to just sit behind a tree and just wait to see if they'll come for me," he said.

Alfred frowned. "You know they always stopped playing after you hid right?" he asked, wondering if his brother was just joking. Matthew's lip wobbled. "Wait? Is that why you're always the one who finds me? I thought it was just because of the twin thing," he said, tearing up. Alfred bit his lip. "N-No..I was just joking. They were really playing but you were just so good that they would give up after a few minutes. I was the only one that could actually find you...because of our twin thing!" said Alfred, trying to make his brother feel better.

Matthew blinked before hugging his brother once more. _I'm gonna miss him...Maybe I can come and visit him after the presence in my land leaves. Or maybe it's our Dad and I can bring the three of us together. But it doesn't feel strongly related to us..._ His thoughts were interrupted by his brother yawning. Finally. The sugar high has crashed and at a great time too. "Maybe it's time to go to bed. I'm getting tired," he said. That was the trick with his brother. If Alfred thought people were trying to make him do something, he'd never do it. But if it was something he thought the other person wanted for themselves, then he'd do it.

Alfred pouted but nodded. "I guess you would be after walking so far. I got the tent set up, let's go ahead and turn in," he said. Matthew smiled and followed his brother to their makeshift bed for the night. Kumajiro put out the fire before wandering over to their tent and laying down between the two of them. Both of the boys smiled at the warmth. "We'll be there before it even starts snowing. Good thing we have Kuma in case they don't have blankets," said Alfred.

"Why wouldn't they have blanekts?" asked Mattehw skeptically. Alfred huffed. "I don't know! They live across the world. What if they don't need blankets because it's so warm! They have those giant canoes. Maybe they have giant blankets! Mattie, what if he's a giant too? Mattie, will we be half giants and have really bad growth spurts?" asked Alfred, tearing up. "You had too much sugar. Get some sleep. If he's a giant he'll be that much more fun to play with," huffed Matthew. Alfred nodded and curled up before falling asleep.

A little over a week later, Matthew was starting to get antsy. "Mattie, why are we going so far north? Aren't we going to the east coast?" he asked. "Um...Uh...I just really keep feeling the pull to the north. We're still going east...We're going Northeast," said Matthew, fidgeting a little bit. Alfred frowned. "But...I feel the pull from down there," he told his brother, pointing Southeast. "But...Is it really strong?" asked Matthew.

Alfred frowned. "Faint...Not really a pull...more like a feeling that I should go down there," he admitted unwillingly. Matthew blinked. "Then...Why don't you come with me and meet my people with me? And when you start feeling the tugging, I can go with you to meet your people. It'll be part of our adventure going east!" said Matthew, trying to cheer his brother up despite feeling like it was a bad idea.

Alfred blinked. "Really?" he asked hopefully. Matthew hesitated a little but nodded with a slight smile. Alfred hugged his brother. "That sounds great! We're gonna have so much fun!" he said happily. Matthew nodded and returned the hug, feeling guilty as Kuma gave him a disapproving look. After Alfred had gone to go get some berries for their continued trip, Kuma confronted him.

"Why are you lying to him? You know he can't stay with you when you first meet your people! Otherwise the bonding won't work and they'll be split between you!" huffed the polar bear. Matthew's lip wobbled. "I know that but...he gets so hurt whenever I start hinting that we need to go in separate directions. I don't know what to say or do!" said Matthew. "You need to tell him sometime. Before you get to the people. Before you get to the border. You have two days Kanata," said Kuma, nuzzling his owner to keep him from crying.

"I got the berries you like! Cranberries right?" shouted Alfred as he ran over to them. "What's wrong?" he asked when he saw that his brother was on the verge of tears. Kuma glanced at Matthew who weakly held out his foot. "I stubbed my toe...Can I see the berries you brought?" he asked in a shy voice. Alfred blinked, remembering the berries, and opened his hand to reveal that they were now squashed to a mush.

"O-Oh...I'm sorry. I'll go back and get some more. There were a lot of them over there," he said, already brushing his hand against the grass and turning to go back. "No it's fine! We should really get walking. I really think we should get up there as soon as possible," said Matthew. Alfred nodded. "Okay, I guess that's perfectly reasonable. What do you think Daddy is going to be like?" he asked.

"...Etsi said Mommy really liked him. That Mommy wouldn't stop talking about him after she found out who he was," said Matthew quietly. "Hmm..Etsi didn't really seem to like Mommy. Or us to be honest. She was still nicer than her kids but still. They were all pretty mean," said Alfred, rubbing his arm. "But they gave us food and clothes...even if it wasn't very much," said Matthew.

"We'll only have a few days before we meet Daddy. Don't worry! I'll take care of us until then!" proclaimed Alfred proudnly. Matthew tried not to snort. "Sure Alfred...Show me where you got the berries. We can have them for dinner tonight. Kuma feels too tired to go fishing again. What did you call this river again?" asked Matthew with a slight frown. "The Mississippi!" said Alfred with a grin. Matthew made a face. "You peed in it, didn't you?" he asked. "Maybe…" said Alfred, finding the little cranberry marsh.

After their quick dinner and after Alfred added another 'p' to the river's name, the two boys snuggled together for warmth in their little tent. Alfred fell asleep easily, a small smile on his face. Matthew wasn't able to sleep. The closer they got to the invisible border they had drawn in their heads the antsier he got and the more he felt Alfred was just being a tagalong, despite knowing that that wasn't the case. He wasn't really sure what was wrong with himself. He felt guilty for thinking that about his brother and for not telling Alfred anything about him leaving.

Over the next few days, Matthew became more withdrawn and snappy at his brother. Alfred would look slightly startled but try to let it roll off his back. Matthew would spot the hurt in his brother's eyes and immediately apologize and try to make it up by widdling him something, not that he was very good at it, or finding his brother little treats. Alfred would immediately perk up and hug his brother before happily indulging in whatever treat Matthew brought him.

But it got worse as they got closer. "Mattie, I can't believe we'll see dad soon! Are you excited?" asked Alfred. "...You're not seeing him," said Matthew quietly. Alfred blinked before smiling. "You're funny. Do you think he'll have treats or will we have to bring the treats?" asked Alfred happily. Matthew frowned. "You can't come. There aren't going to be any treats. You can't come," he said.

"...What do you mean? The border's right there! I don't see why we can't cross it," said Alfred, looking confused. Matthew huffed, ignoring Kuma who slightly growled at him. "You can't cross the border. He picked up the bear and placed him on the other side of the border. You're not allowed in my part of the land. And it's not dad that's meeting me...At least I don't think so. You have to go away and not come back! It's my pull and not yours and I wish you would just quit following me around like a stray!" snapped Matthew, spinning around to face his brother before realizing what he said.

Alfred looked like a puppy that had just gotten kicked. Matthew instantly felt horrible. "A-Alfred…" he muttered quietly. "..Y-You don't want me around…" whimpered Alfred, eyes tearing up quickly before fat tears started running down his cheeks. "I-I...Alfie it's..complicated.." muttered Matthew. "Fine! I'll just pretend I never met you! Then you'll be happy! It'll be like we never met!" shouted Alfred before he ran off. "Alfred!" shouted Matthew, hesitating. "Bye Canadia," shouted Alfred, throwing a cranberry. It bounced off Mattie's head.

"You really hurt his feelings. I told you to tell him earlier. Why didn't you listen? He would have been a lot less hurt then you know," said Kuma. "Know it all...Should I go after him?" asked Matthew, watching his brother slowly become a dot in the distance. "He's almost gone...why didn't you go after him earlier?" said Kuma when Alfred disappeared. "...I don't know…" whimpered Matthew.

"...Do you think he'll really pretend not to know me?" asked Matthew, his lip wobbling. Kuma sighed. "You told him you didn't want him to go with you...He might think you're going to go see your father without him," said Kuma. "B-But I told him it wasn't...At least I don't think it'll be our dad….Dyami hates me," cried Matthew, tears starting to go down his face as well. "...You called him a stray Kanata. He's gonna be mad and hurt for a while," said Kuma softly, nuzzling his owner.

Matthew whimpered. "I-I didn't mean it...You know that right? I didn't mean it. I mean he is kind of a tagalong...and he doesn't know how to stop talking...and he can get really hyper and wild..and doesn't know how to control his strength-" He was promptly cut off with one look from the bear. "B-But he's my brother...I don't want him to pretend not to know me. I like it when he includes me in things and plays with me. I like his games. I don't want him to be gone forever," said Matthew, bursting into tears at the last sentence.

"He's not gone forever...just for a little bit. It's not like he died. He'll be fine...I'm sure Cheveyo will start following him around the minute Alfred gets really far away from us. We'll see him again when your father comes. He'll probably forget about all of this by then," said Kuma. "Nanuq, do you really mean that? You promise he'll forget about it? I don't want him to be mad at me if we're separated for a long time," said Matthew quietly. "I don't promise but if you're apart even a little bit I'm sure Alfred will forgive you. You know he forgets things like grudges easily," said Kuma gently.

"I hope you're right," sighed Matthew before leaning into the bear's warm side. Kuma smiled. "Of course I am! Come on, let's go! Set up the tent and I can get some fish," said Kuma. Matthew froze. "...I have the tent...and the food...and everything...How is Dyami going to get food? He left without nothing…" said Matthew, concerned. "He's a smart boy. I'm sure he'll figure something else. Besides he has his emergency pack with him and the knife you made him," said Kuma.

"S-Stupid Kanata...Stupid Matthew. I-I'm not a tagalong. I only wanted to help him and keep him safe. What if there bears?!...I mean besides Kuma. I'm the better hunter...and the stronger one. He's always quiet and scared. I-I thought he liked having me around. N-Now he's going to meet Daddy without me," said Alfred, tears streaming down his face before he sunk down onto the ground. The roots of the tree he was against seemed to slowly and softly cradle him.

"What if he tells Daddy about the time I accidentally fed Cherokee one of Aztek's spicy peppers and I made her cry? It was an accident! I didn't know Azteck put peppers in his hot chocolate. I thought it would cheer her up after Etsi yelled at her. ...What if Mattie doesn't tell Daddy about me and Daddy won't come looking for me because he doesn't know I exist?" The thought was enough to make his crying even worse. Alfred blinked when fists full upon fists full of blueberries gently fell on him.

He looked up, curiosity suprising him out of his tears. "...There aren't any blueberry bushes nearby...Where did those come from?" he muttered. He hesitantly looked up and spotted a broken cloth bag up in the tree. Alfred hesitantly tasted one of the berries and blinked before downing a few handfuls. He looked up at the bag one more, too sad to climb up and explore the tree how he used to. He then plopped back down and stared at the blueberries before starting to cry. "Fruit's my only friend," he shouted, tears once again streaming.

The wind blew against his ear, almost as a sigh. Alfred slowly started eating the blueberries, sniffling and trying to keep himself from bawling again until he realized it was getting late. With a whimper, he glanced at the darkening sky and curled up on the ground, shivering. In an attempt to press his back against the tree to maintain some warmth, he had accidentally squashed a few more blueberries. "There goes my breakfast," he mumbled miserably.

It started raining and the branches seemed to move to cover him. Alfred didn't notice of course, having cried himself to sleep. He kept having nightmares about his brother spreading lies about him before jolting awake when something nuzzled into his side. With a yelp, he opened his eyes to find that it was almost morning and a bunny had decided to take shelter with him under the tree.

When the bunny realized that Alfred was awake, it wiggled its nose before pressing it into his neck. Alfred giggled at the cold nose before hugging it close. "You're cute...I'm naming you Cinnabun," he said, running hand through its light brown fur. Before the rabbit could respond, two or three more bunnies came out and cuddled around Alfred. "You're Bun-Bun...You're Mr. Fluffybutt. You're Sir Fluffykins the Third," he said, pointing at each respective bunny.

Alfred smiled before blinking. "I almost forgot...Someone left their backpack!" he said as he jumped up to look at the bag in the trees. "Look at this! But don't tell anyone! Mama said not too," he said, frowning when he thought about the few times he saw his real mother at night. He stretched out his hand and concentrated. The bag slowly levitated off the branch and fell onto the ground.

Alfred ran over and started looking through the bag, wondering if there was anything in there that he could use to return the bag to its owner. There wasn't anything in it except for a blanket, somemore berries, jerky, and a small piece of leather he could use if it rained again. Alfred blinked. "This is perfect...I wonder if they need it though," he muttered, looking around for any obvious signs of a recent campground. Nothing.

"Would it be bad if I keep it…?" he mumbled to himself before looking at the bunnies for their opinion. Two of them decided to nuzzle him. "Only two of you? What about you Cinnabun? Should I keep it?" he asked. The cinnamon colored bunny started to nuzzle him as well. "I guess we have a consensus then," said Alfred, quickly tying a knot so that the hole in the bag was temporarily fixed.

"There! That should hold it for a while! Do you guys want to go with me to the east coast? Maybe a little down south?" he asked. The bunnies didn't seem to disagree and happily followed the little trail of blueberries he left for them to make them come with. "You're all so cute. Mattie would have loved you…" he muttered before trailing off sadly. He had to fight the tears that suddenly threatened to reappear.

Cinnabun immediately nuzzled him and the other bunnies quickly followed. Alfred giggled slightly despite the tears and sat down so they could climb over him. "You're so fluffy!" he laughed when they all pushed in close. After a few minutes, he got up when he finally had calmed down a little. "Lets go. The sooner we get to the east, the better...but we do have time to wander around a little bit. I don't think that that's a bad idea," he said.

For the next few decades, Alfred wandered around from place to place occasionally staying with some of Aiyanna's children, though they did so begrudgingly. They were wary of having him stay with them and would make sure he worked for his food and stay. There were a couple that did take him in for a few months, making sure that he was clothed and fed properly before they let him continue onto his next adventure.

 **Sorry this was posted a bit late. I got hit with two final papers and four midterms this past week so things got a bit hectic. Update will be a week late due to spring break but WILL be on schedule. Let me** **know** **what you think! Reviews needed.**


	2. Chapter 2

During these decades, Matthew spent time with the people he found at the center of his tugging, having never found the nation the people orriginally came from. He happily enjoyed their company, quickly learning the strange language they spoke. French is what one friendly villager told him it was called. Despite the strange sense of familiarity he had somehow found in these settlers, Matthew found himself constantly turning around to ask Alfred his opinion and feeling guilty and sad when he remembered he had scared him off.

Alfred on the other hand had just discovered settlers of his own. While he had been hunting with the rabbits, they somehow didn't shy away from him when he needed to do so, when he saw a man with pale skin and funny clothes pass through the trees near him. Alfred froze before hiding behind the tree, the bunnies scurrying as well. Thinking it was a ghost, Alfred closed his eyes and shuddered, counting under his breath so that he could wait a little before trying to see if the ghost had gone.

The footsteps had gone and he decided it was safe to open his eyes, jumping when he realized the ghost was now standing in front of him, smiling. Alfred yelped before hiding on the other side of the tree. "Hey little guy. Don't be scared! Did you get separated from the village? You know they have the curfew for a reason. How about we get you back home? How does that sound? I'm going back to the settlement right now," said the ghost.

Alfred blinked when he realized the ghost was in fact a man. "You're like me! How are you like me!? What language are you speaking?" he asked excitedly. The man frowned before looking him over. "Are those animal skins?! You speak like one of those natives...Child, what happened to your parents? We've lost quite a few people. Were you with any of them?" he asked. Alfred frowned, somehow able to understand the man but unable to replay in the language.

The man smiled and got down on a knee. "Don't worry, I won't bite. You look hungry too. Were you out here hunting? I have some meat at home and my wife made some bread. When was the last time you had a bath? Come on little one, we'll look after you," he said, holding out a hand. Alfred smiled before taking it and following the man. A few of the bunnies followed them, the man smirking a little. "What have you been feeding them to get them to follow you like that?" he asked teasingly, not expecting an answer. Alfred dug into his bag and held out a few leafs of lettuce, making the man chuckle.

"You're a smart lad then, eh? I suppose you had your parents long enough to learn how to understand English but not long enough to speak it. Do you have a name kid?" asked the man. Alfred frowned, not sure how to tell the man his name before blinking in realiziation. Alfred looked around at the trees and spotted an eagle's nest, opting to use Aiyanna's name for him since 'Alfred' would be to hard to pantemime.

The man frowned, not sure how to take the miming. "Eagle….I'm sorry lad but Eagle's not a name. Let's get you home, shall we? I'm sure you're going to be feeling the cold here soon and you're probably hungry. How does stew sound? It's not much but it's what we've been able to use for the past few days before we can try to gather everyone and organize another hunting party," he said.

Alfred stopped and shook his head before pointing at the man expectantly. The man blinked, looking confused before realization donned on him. "You don't want to leave with strangers?" he asked. Alfred nodded determinedly, not moving from his spot. The man chuckled. "My name is Adam. Adam Johnson. There, now I'm not a stranger anymore. Let's get you some clean clothes, a nice bath, and some food. I'm sure Sarah, my wife, would be happy to see you," said Adam.

Alfred grinned brightly before nodding. "That would be great!" he said before realizing the man didn't understand him. It was strange. The man didn't speak any language he had heard before but he could undersand him. Maybe it was because the man was one of his people. The man took his hand and led him back to the small cabin he had built, other cabins nearby as well. Alfred's eyes widened as he looked at them.

"How do you move them? Do you stay here during the winter too? Don't you know that's dangerous?" Alfred asked the man. The man just chuckled at Alfred's curious babbling. "Don't worry boy-o. We'll teach you how to speak the language and answer all your questions as best as we can. Do you have any relatives here? Perhaps there's some that might be willing to take you in," said the man. Alfred shook his head slowly.

The man frowned before blinking. "You must be James and Martha's boy...They lost a boy in the woods before they got sick...Oh you poor thing. I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry to tell you this lad but your parents...they aren't here anymore," he said. Alfred looked at the man with confusion before the confusion turned into curiosity. Didn't the man feel that Alfred was different from him? Aiyanna's people seemed to instinctively know who she was. Maybe it was because she was older?

Alfred followed the man into the house, blinking at the strange things that were everywhere. There was a metal thing with fire in the corner, some strange looking chairs, weird stones carved into things like pots and pans, and a wooden floor. He couldn't stop himself from turning around to look at everything. The man laughed as he watched the boy's antics. "Adam, who's this? I don't recognize him," said a woman.

Adam turned around. "You won't belive this...but I found James and Martha's boy wandering around in the woods, dressed like one of the natives. Looks like the natives took him in when their group was attacked," said Adam. Alfred didn't pay any mind to their conversation, playing with the strange needles and fur he had found in a basket next to the strange chair with bows stuck to the bottom of the legs. He poked the chair and started giggling when he found that it moved back and forth.

"Are you sure it's the Jones's boy? He looks like he's gone completely savage," said Sarah quietly so the boy wouldn't hear her, watching as Alfred started playing with the rocking chair. "I'm absolutely sure. He recognized their names and said he didn't have any other relatives. He knows English and there's no other colonies. James and Martha were the only ones who had lost a boy about his appreance and age. It makes sense. From what I gathered, the boy got lost and the natives had taken him in as their own though he seems to have gotten separated from them or came looking for our coloney again," said Adam excitedly.

"But...James and Martha came alone. Most of the other families have already died. Adam, maybe he's better off with the savages. He seems healthy enough," said Sarah, looking the strange boy over. Alfred had now managed to climb into the rocking chair, giggling as he started rocking himself back and forth. "He was wandering around the forest on his own. The nearest tribe is far from here. Sarah, if we don't take care of him, who will?" asked Adam softly.

"Adam, I can't. You know I can't. Not after we lost Georgie. I-I don't want to go through that pain again. I don't want to have another dead son," said Sarah in a trembling voice. Adam frowned before taking her hands. "Something's different about this boy. I know he'll survive this. He was able to survive being on his own for all these years. He'll survive with us and maybe even teach us more about this new land than we knew before. Who knows, maybe he'll be able to save Roanaoke," said Adam softly.

Sarah looked at the boy and sighed, smiling slightly at the joy in his face as he played on the chair. "Okay...We'll take him in. You're right. None of the other settlers would dare take him in, not with the winter starting to come in hard. I can't let him go back into the wild if the winter is going to be as bad as the rumors say. Besides...he should be reconnected with his people. We're gonna need all hands on deck if we want to save the coloney," she said quietly. Adam smiled. "You don't know how happy that makes me," he said.

Sarah turned to the boy and smiled. "Hello there lad. My name is Sarah. I'm Adam's wife. What's your name?" she asked. Alfred made a face as if he wasn't sure how to tell them. "Last time I asked him that him he pointed at an eagle," said Adam. Alfred blinked before nodding excitedly. "Hmm...Perhaps that is the native's name for him," said Sarah. Alfred nodded even more, happy that they were getting what he was trying to say. "So what's your real name my dear?" asked Sarah.

Alfred frowned, once again at a loss what to do. "Hmmm. He understands us...Do you know how to write?" asked Adam. Alfred shook his head, not sure what 'writing' was. "Well...I suppose I'll have to start tutoring him soon," he said, grumbling. "Is it okay if we give you a name until we can figure out what your original name is? I'm sure someone remembers what James and Martha named their boy," said Sarah, glancing at Adam in the last sentence.

"Hmm...Can we call you Franklin? Does that sound like a good name?" Adam asked the boy. Alfred thought about it and nodded. Sarah smiled. "Well Franklin, how about I draw you a bath while Adam heats up what's left of the stew? I'm sure it's been a long time since you've been in a bath," she said gently. Alfred nodded eagerly, curious as to what a bath was. Usually he and Mattie would just bathe in a river but he felt that that wasn't what she meant.

"That's a good lad. Follow me over to the kitchen. Sarah, I think he would be able to fit in some of Georgie's old clothes," said Adam. Sarah nodded and went to an old trunk, pulling out a white nightgown before drawing Alfred a bath. Alfred happily ate his stew, doing his best to answer Adam's questions with a nod or a shake of the head. Sarah smiled as she watched the boy eat before helping him strip and get into the bath.

Alfred happily played in the warm water as Adam looked over Alfred's items. "He has some sort of strange meat with him, some berries, a knife, a blanket, a piece of leather, what in the would would he need that for, and an old rattle. And when I say old, I mean it has to be a few decades old. He must have found it in the woods along with some of these other little toys," said Adam, smiling a bit at the little scraps of fabric, pebbles, and dried up flowers the boy seemed to have collected on his travels.

"He must have a camp or something where the rest of his things are. I'd suggest we go and look for it but I'm afriad that might mean we run into the savages again and get ourselves killed for nothing. Does he have any other clothes in his bag?" asked Sarah as she looked over the well worn outfit she managed to pry off of the small child. "One other outfit but it is nearly identical to the one he was wearing earlier. The only difference is that there's fur sewed onto it somehow," said Adam.

"Well, you should go and talk to Margaret. She and Martha were practically tied to the hip. Maybe she knows more about the boy than we do. Just be careful not to catch John's cold. I don't think that man has much time left in this world, bless his soul," said Sarah. Adam nodded, putting on his coat and boots once more. "I'll be back in an hour at the most. Hopefully the wind doesn't pickup. Maybe I'll even run across a squirrel we can use in the next stew," he said.

Sarah bit her lip and nodded. The squirrel was barely enough meat for the last stew she made for the both of them and they were desparate enough that they were boiling the squirrel with dandelion roots for lack of vegetables. They had tried to make a garden plot when they first built the house but the rain flooded and killed most of their crop. Now they were living off the few vegetation and animals they can find in addition to the very miniscule amounts of supplies they had left over from their boat ride over to the Newland.

Alfred seemed to pick up on her worried expression before giving her his own beaming smile. "I'm a good hunter. Maybe I can help. I know where a good nest of chipmunks are!" he said in his tongue. Sarah smiled a bit at him, not sure what he was saying but certain it was as sweet as his face. "Don't worry dear. We'll make it through the winter. We made it through the ride here. It's just hard to hunt when the natives attack us when we get too far from our settlement. Adam, see if Jacob can call a town meeting," said Sarah.

Adam raised a hand to show that he heard her before leaving the house, leaving her alone with Alfred. Sarah ran a hand through Alfred's hair, smirking at a little tuft of hair that didn't seem to want to go down but did after some coaxing. "I hope you can get adjusted to being part of civilized life again. I'm sure it's going to be a big difference from being on your own. We'll help you out as best as we can. And there's no obligation to call us Mother or Father. We know you're probably still recovering from losing your real parents and that there's nothing we can do to replace him," said Sarah happily.

Alfred looked up before gently kissing her cheek in a sloppy four year old manner. Sarah found herself blushing and hugging him happily. "Let's get you dried up and in some clean clothes. Here's a towel. Wrap it around yourself minding the water. Don't want to get you wet as well," she said, helping him get out of the tub. Alfred giggled and dried himself, not noticing how threadbare the towel was.

Sarah smiled. "I believe Martha and James had another son with them. Do you remember having a brother? They kept to themselves and it was a couple years back. Does that sound about right?" she asked. Alfred froze before suddenly blinking back tears. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, pausing in drying his hair with the towel. Alfred shook his head, chin wobbling.

"Was it about your brother dear? I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you cry," she said softly, gently rubbing circles into his head as she dried. Alfred slowly nodded, indicating it was about his brother. Sarah was quiet for a few seconds, doing her best to comfort the boy, before, "D-Did you lose him as well? The same way you lost your Mother and Father?" asked Sarah, watching the boy closely.

Alfred nodded some more, fat tears trailing down his chubby cheeks as he started taking in big quivering breaths. Sarah picked up the boy and held him close, rocking him gently. "Shh, shh. It's alright. It's alright. You're alright. I won't let anyone hurt you. I know how you feel my boy. I lost someone very important to me around the time you lost your family...It hurt a lot but I know it's going to be alright. We'll see them again, I promise you that. They're there waiting for us, protecting us. I'm sure your brother and parents would be proud to see you get so far. You found the settlement all on your own," she said softly, sitting down in the rocking chair.

Alfred let himself cry as woman rocked him back and forth. Once he seemed all tuckered out, Sarah smiled. "Now let's get you into a nightgown. I hope you don't mind having Georgie's bed. Now, would you be okay entertaing yourself for a few minutes while I go make it up? I won't take long. In fact, Adam should be here any minute. Then you can go to bed. You look like you're tired," she said nicely. Alfred only understood some of what she was saying but nodded anyways, too sleepy to really question anything.

A few minutes later, gentle arms picked him up and placed him on top of a strange bag filled with what seemed to be straw. Alfred started to wiggle out of it, more used to sleeping on a mat on the floor, before Sarah started running a hand through his hair. "I know it's different but I'm sure you'll find the bed to be a lot softer than the ground," she said before covering him with a blanket. Alfred found his eyes drooping once the blankt started softly warming him up. "Good night my dear," said Sarah before letting him sleep.

 **Sorry for the delay! Hope you guys like how the story is going so well. Also hope you don't expect it to stay fluffy for too long. Remember, Roanoke's the 'Lost Colony.'** **Reviews** **appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3: Learning about England

Alfred woke up the next morning with no recollection of where he was but was surprisingly unafraid. He sat up, smelling something sweet being heated over a fire. Eager to see what the source of the smell was, he jumped down out of bed and ran over to the kitchen, finding Sarah pulling a loaf of sweet bread out of the oven. She looked down and smiled when she discovered Alfred by her knee. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up. You must be very tired to sleep in so late. Or I suppose you're like Adam. That man could sleep through storm," she said happily.

Alfred smiled at her and pointed at the bread. Sarah smiled. "Are you hungry? This is bread. Can you say, 'Bread please?'" she asked softly. Alfred blinked and tried out the words, finding them feeling strange on his lips. Whatever he said must have pleased Sarah because she smiled and carved a chunk of the bread off before handing it to Alfred. "You can eat this at the table with the water that's already set there," she said with a smile. Alfred nodded and raced to the table, climbing up the chair.

"Well, I was thinking that I can teach you how to speak English again. You seem to be able to understand us pretty well Franklin. Maybe, if it doesn't storm the way the sailors are predicting and I can show you the coloney. There isn't much to be honest. Just a few houses, a church, and a trading post. But it's what we have. Maybe we'll see some people out and about," said Sarah, trying to make the settelment sound a bit cheerier.

Alfred blinked before nodding excitedly just as Adam walked in. "Sarah...What's this?" he asked, looking at the bread with shock. Sarah's cheeks turned pink. "I-I know I shouldn't have but...Franklin must be hungry and I wanted to do something special to try to make him feeled welcome," said Sarah softly. Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair with a look of frustration on his face.

"Sarah we already didn't have enough flour to make us through the end of the month...How much flour did this take?" he asked. "J-Just a couple cups. Nothing too serious to set us back a lot," said Sarah, watching as Adam's face looked a bit upset. "You should have seen him last night. I asked him about his brother, remember the Jones had an older boy? He started crying and was so hurt...I-I just wanted to make him feel better," added Sarah. Adam sighed and looked at where Alfred was munching on bread.

"Sarah, I spoke to John and it sounds like he's going to call together a town meeting tonight. He was going to do it anyways but couldn't send a messenger with the wind being the way it is," said Adam, sounding defeated. Sarah frowned. "What happened?" she asked. "We're not the only ones running out of food. We're going to call a meeting to see what we can do to last through the winter, if we can make it that long. He agreed to add the boy to the agenda but things aren't looking very well," said Adam.

Sarah looked worried but ruffled Alfred's hair to reassure him that everything was fine. "We'll make it through. I'm sure the king will send someone to check up on the coloney soon. Perhaps even Sir Kirkland himself will make a trip. I know there's rumors that he's eager to take to the sea once more. I'm certain he wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to visit an entire new land," she said.

Adam sighed. "I hope you're right. He has a way of getting people to calm down, supplies with him or not. And I'm certain he would be able to help set the settlement up a lot more properly instead of the haphazzard way the king arranged it to be. But Sarah, Sir Kirkland is a busy man and I'm sure he doesn't have time to waste on a settlement of discarded peasants. I think it's safe to say we're on our own from now on. If he was going to help, he would have been there at the launching," he said.

Sarah frowned but sighed. "I don't know Adam...For some reason I trust that the man would help us if he is able to," she said. Adam rolled his eyes before hugging Sarah. "He's just one man Sarah. He can't just single-handly undo this mess. What connection did he even say he had to the royal family? He said that his family had been advisors of some sort but never really specified beyond that," said Adam, starting to think about the mysterious bushy-eyed Brit.

Alfred had gotten down from his chair and wandered back over to Georgie's old area, finding another set of clothes already laid out for him. Alfred frowned at the strange, colorless clothing before folding it up as best as he could, aka smashing it into a ball, and set it under the bed. He climbed back onto the bed and whistled for one of his bunnies, frowning when the didn't appear. Maybe they didn't like the settlement. A lot of bunnies try to avoid Aiyanna's old camps because of the hunters.

"Who are you and why are you wearing my old nightgown?" asked a quiet voice. Alfred turned around and blinked at the transparent little boy behind him. "Who are you?" Alfred tried to say. The boy blinked and looked confused. "You can see me? Wait...Can you see me? Why do you talk so funny?" he asked. Alfred frowned before glancing at Sarah, wondering if she could see the strange boy as well. Sarah looked up. "Did you need something Franklin?" she asked.

Alfred pointed at the boy. Sarah looked confused. "Is there something wrong with the bed? Something outside? Does your finger hurt?" she asked as he shook his head no for each question. "Then what is it dear? Maybe you can try to puppet it with your hands?" she asked, Adama now looking on as well. Alfred frowned, frustrated. How long was it going to be until he could actually tell him what was going on? And who was the boy and why didn't anyone else see him?

"...They can't see me...but you can. Is that right?" asked Georgie. Alfred frowned, glancing at the adults who have long sinced turned ther backs on him. "They never see me...it's not just the adults before you ask. The kids can't see me either, not that there are many kids left alive. Just the other ghosts and my friends. You know what a ghost is right kid? What is your name kid?" asked the boy, sitting down next to him.

Alfred sighed and made a flying bird with his hands. "Bird boy? I'm gonna call you bird boy. My mom calls you Franklin but that's not right is it? Is it something in my language or in a different langage?" asked Georgie. Alfred frowned and shrugged. "Hmmm...Once for english. Twice for other," he asked. Alfred frowned and tapped three times. Georgie frowned. "...Both? You have two names?" he asked. Alfred blinked before nodding happily.

"That's so cool! So what's your Indian name? Is it something like, Howling Moon? Do you know anyone named Howling Moon?" asked the boy. Alfred frowned, not sure how to take that before pointing at a carving of an eagle sitting on the mantle. The boy blinked. "..Eagle? Is that right? Your name has something to do with an eagle?" asked Georgie. Alfred blinked before grinning at him. "Well that's kind of an odd name, but I like it! So you lived with the savages for a while then?" asked Georgie.

Alfred frowned before making an angry face at the boy. "What's wrong?" asked George, "Did I say something wrong?" Alfred nodded. The boy frowned. "Hmm...Wait...I called you a savage didn't I? I'm sorry...I just hear the grown ups call the natives that a lot...but it is a mean word. I promise I won't call you that again if you promise to keep talking to me now and again. It gets kind of lonely. You never did answer my question. Do you know what ghosts are?" said George quickly.

Alfred shook his head, looking slightly confused by the word. George frowned, not sure how to describe them...himself. "Well...They're what I am. What me and some of the other kids have become. We're ghosts. We got really sick or really hungry...and fell asleep. And never woke up. We died. And some us come back as spirit things and others don't come back and others only stay around for a little bit," said George.

Alfred frowned. "Died...What's that?" he asked before remembering the boy doesn't remember. "...You know I can't understand you right? Hmm...We're going to have to figure out a way to communicate until you get the grasp of learning English again. Anyways, how old are you? How did you lose your parents in the forest? Why were you even in the forest? I know you're not Martha and James's son. Frederick hangs out with me sometimes when he's not sulking in the forest," said Georgie.

Alfred frowned, not sure how to answer any of that with a hand gesture. He jumped when Sarah called his name. "Franklin, why haven't you dressed yet? Is there something wrong with the nightgown?" she asked, sounding concerned. Alfred shook his head and quickly tried putting the gown on, frowning when he put his arms and head through the wrong holes. He yelped and turned to Sarah for help. She chuckled and quickly fixed the mess he got himself into.

"There you go lad. We're running out of time. Adam slept in longer than I thought he would," she said. Adam let out a cry of protest as he ate his breakfast. "Don't whine to me. We have chores to be done and a meeting to go to after the noon meal. I also have to clean up some things so that Alfred could be comfortable here. Now Adam, if you hurry with your breakfast you will have plenty of time to lay down some more straw in the barn for the animals," she said.

Adam grumbled but nodded, taking his time with his breakfast. "You're lucky lad. As long as you see too confused over all this to do anything, you get to watch her order me around," he said good-naturedly. Alfred giggled as the nice man ruffled his hair. "Stop putting thoughts in his head. I'm sure Franklin knows hard work after all he's gone through, unlike you lazy thing. Now I hope you've gotten enough to eat...I'm going to go foraging with the ladies after the meeting," said Sarah.

Alfred frowned. It was winter. What were they doing foraging? There wasn't anything out there except shriveled roots and berries. If even those were still out. Alfred tugged on Sarah's dress and gave her a questioning look. Sarah sighed. "I know it's ridiculous but we must keep trying to find ways to survive. Maybe we're lucky and we find some animals to take back for meat. We're getting desparate….but don't you worry dear. We're going to figure this out. I promise," she said.

Alfred frowned. All of the game animals had migrated away. These people were going to starve. Didn't they know that? But...Sarah said that they would be fine. She promised. She wouldn't lie to Alfred...not after being so nice to him and making him bread and taking him in and being his new mom. _Wow, that makes like...three mom's. I already have one more mom than Mattie. Take that Matthew!...If you haven't already replaced me and stole dad..._

Alfred felt his eyes tear up and he roughly wiped his tears. Sarah and Adam blinked, Adam picking him up and setting him on his lap. "Where are all these tears coming from? Is the roof leaking again? Sarah, I think the roof is leaking again. Frankie shouldn't be crying right? Our little guy is a tough ole lad. Strong as a bull and twice as fast. If not faster. Isn't that right little eagle?" asked Adam, gently tickling him.

Alfred giggled and squirmed as the man tickled him. Sarah found herself smiling. "I suppose every little boy falls victim to that trick. I'm going to go do the laundry. Adam, don't forget to fix that front gate. It's squeaking drives my senses insane," she said before pulling out the laundry tub. Alfred blinked at her in curiousity before wiggling his way out of Adam's grasp. The boy sat by Sarah, peering into the tub. Sarah smiled as she started washing clothes and Alfred nearly fell in as he attemped to get a closer look.

Sarah chuckled and picked him up. "Careful lad, don't want you falling in and getting a cold. How about this? You can hand me the soap and clothes that need to be cleaned. I might even let you play with the bubbles as we work. Can you be my little helper?" she asked gently. Alfred nodded excitedly and immediately picked up the bar of soap and held it out to her. "Thank you dear. You know, you seem to have no problem understanding me. I'm sure you can speak the language as well as you understand it. Could it be that you haven't spoken to someone in a long time?" she asked.

Alfred hesitated. He had never heard this language before but he did understand ever one of Sarah's words. Sarah smiled softly at his hesitation. "Dear boy, I'm not going to make fun of you or mock you. I am just sure that a sweet boy like you has an equally sweet voice. Plus I would like to know that I'm not talking to the wall every now and again," she said, chuckling slightly. Alfred nodded and played with his nightgown. He cleared his throat, sneaking a peek at her face. She gave him another smile.

"M-My name is Alfred...B-But I like Franklin too…" he said softly. Sarah paused as she washed clothing before smiling at him. "Well I think that is a lovely name, Alfred. Tell me, where have you been all these past years? You don't have to tell me if it makes you upset. I'm just so curious about you. It's not every day that Adam comes home with a child wearing animal skins and speaking in a language I've never heard of before," she said with a smile, turning back to her laundry.

"...I was with the Native Americans...one of them raised me after my Mama died. ...My brother left me a little bit ago and I'm all by myself now. Well, it's just me and the bunnies now. They keep me warm at night and I gave them all a name. They all left when Adam found me though. I haven't seen them in days. It's really weird. They usually come with me places unless it's dangerous. But I know it's not dangerous because you guys look like me! This settlement is filled with my people!" said Alfred with a grin.

Sarah raised an eyebrow as she was swept under the wave of his enthusiastic ramble. "Is that so? Well bunnies are very sweet, they look after innocent children, but they're too fluffy to be much help in dangerous situations. You said your name was eagle when we first met. What did you mean by that?" she asked, scrubbing a shirt of Adam's. "My Native American mom called me Dyami. It means eagle. You can call me that if you like. I don't mind it at all!" he said.

Sarah smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure you don't lad. I'll call you Alfred if you don't mind it. That's the name your original mama gave you correct?" she said. Alfred nodded. "Mama called me that, said the name made my dad happy. She and Daddy weren't around...I don't remember her very well," said Alfred sadly. Sarah sighed. "I know. It's sad how some of the most important things, like memory, fade after someone dies. But I'm sure she'd be proud of the way you got yourself back here," she said.

Alfred sniffled. "I think so...I don't see her anymore," he said. Sarah pulled him into her arms. "You poor child. Well, I'm sure you'll be excited to meet everyone at the town hall meeting. Maybe you will even recognize someone there! At the very least, I think there's a couple of other children you might be able to play with. I'm sure they'd love to hear all the stories you must have about your adventures. I'm guessing you've seen a lot more of the new world than we have," said Sarah with a smile.

Alfred's eyes widened. "You're from another world?! Is that why I'm the only one here that has that kind of skin? But Aiyanna said that you were just from another great big island that is across the giant lake!" said Alfred, head swimming with thoughts of other beings flying in to build houses on his land. Sarah blinked before bursting in laughter, covering her mouth in an attempt to be polite. "No Alfred, we're not from another planet! I suppose it is a very strange concept to someone who's never heard of it before," she reassured him, laughing.

Alfred pouted. It would have been really cool if she was from another planet. Maybe then she would have let him borrow a space canoe to go and visit the lights he saw in the sky. "Then why are you calling me, I mean the land, the New World? You're from the same world. It doesn't make any sense," he said, sounding very confused. Sarah chuckled as she gently poked his jutting bottom lip. "It's because even though this land is on the same world as ours, it is very different from what we're used to," she said.

Dyami blinked. "It is? How? Aren't all the lands covered in grass and forests?" he asked. Sarah sighed and turned back to her chore. "Not all of them, though ours does have grass and forests. It's just that the people here are...different than us. They don't have towns like we do or little shops or a written language. They aren't as developed as us," she said. Alfred felt his imaginary hackles raise a little at that. "What does that mean? Just because they're different doesn't mean they aren't developed!" he said.

"Oh dear, I meant that it's just different. They don't have some of the technologies or advances we have. Their culture is very different from ours. But the people aren't the only thing that's different. The animals are different as well. You have different birds than we do. There's a gigantic brown bear that comes and tries to steal food from us every now and again. It's a lot more dangerous than we're used to. Usually the animals in our homes don't veer toward villages but here they don't mind the fences," she said.

Alfred never even considered that the animals will be different. "What else is different!? I know you wear strange clothes. And you speak a different language. What is your language called again? Are there any other types of languages?" he asked curiously, tugging on her dress in excitement. "Our language is called English and yes there are many different languages. Almost every country at home has a different language," she said. "Country?" asked Alfred slowly. She ruffled his hair.

"We'll have to have a geography lesson at some point little one. But yes, there's a lot of different countries out there. The one I'm come from is called England," she said with a smile. Alfred blinked. "England...England is my father country!" he said excitedly. Sarah smiled. "You mean motherland, and yes, yes it is. Maybe after we get the settlement up and running properly we can take yout with us to go and see it. How does that sound?" she asked, smirking as his eyes lit up.

Alfred starting jumping up and down in excitement. "That would be amazing! Yes, yes I want to go and see it! Do you think I will find him?" he asked. Sarah frowned. "Find who?" she asked. "My dad. England!" he said. Sarah smiled. "Well, England isn't your father dear. Your father was James Jones. But I'm afraid he is with your mother now...as for England, if we make it through this mess alive I assure you that I will get you to England. We'll even splurge and get you some tea as a treat," she said.

"...What's tea?" asked Alfred. Sarah blinked. "We're definitely getting you that tea someday my boy. It's very good, calming. Could you hand me the pants behind you? Wait, first check to see if Adam tore the knee on it again. That man can't wear an article of clothing without somehow ripping it or tearing it. If it's ripped I'll show you how to sew. What am I saying, I'm sure the man has something ripped somewhere. With your help, I'm sure we can finish laundry before the meeting starts," she said.

 **So how long will it be before everyone from Roanoke will** **be brutally killed off? Soon, very soon. Reviews are appreciated to keep me sane!**


	4. Chapter 4: So He Can Speak!

Later that day, Sarah turned to Alfred and took him to the town hall where they were going to meet Adam. Adam was already waiting at the door of the church with a smile. "You ready for your first meeting?" he asked Alfred without expecting an answer. Alfred nodded excitedly. "You said there were other kids my age? Everyone is going to be here?" he asked. Adam blinked and looked at Sarah. "Did I miss something? He speaks perfect English," he said, astonished. "He speaks English. He was just shy because he was a bit rusty. He has a lot of questions about everything. You can tell he's been away from the settlement for quite a bit of time. But he's happy to be here," Sarah said cheerfully, holding Alfred's hands. "Sarah says that you're a farmer. What's that?" asked Alfred as Adam got down so he could talk to Alfred at his level. "I grow plants. The kind of plants that people eat or use for medicine. Granted, I've not done much of a good job lately but I'm trying," said Adam. "Maybe I can help!" said Alfred excitedly. Adam smiled. "I don't see why not. But it's winter time now so not much is going to be growing unfortunately. Unless you know of some sturdy plants we don't have back in England," said Adam. Alfred shook his head. "Not many plants last after the snow falls but I can help! I'm sure I can figure out a way to help!" he said insistantly, excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Adam laughed and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure you can champ. We better get inside before they think we're not coming," he said. Alfred held Sarah's hand as they walked into the church. He blinked when he saw only ten other people Sarah and Adam's ages or younger. There was only two other children, a boy about his age and a sick looking baby. He looked at his adopted parents, giving them a 'this is it?' look. "It's hard to have a large and healthy settlement without crops or help. But I'm sure the other boy would be ecstatic to play with you. His name is Benjamin," said Adam before turning to talk to some older men. Sarah had already turned to go and talk to some women who appeared exteremely curious about Alfred, so Alfred slowly made his way to the other little boy. Benjamin looked up from the wooden figure he was playing with, blinking. "Who are you? I thought I was the only boy left here?" he said. Alfred panicked and immediately puffed out his chest. "Nope! I used to live in the forest before Adam and Sarah brought me here! My name's Alfred! What's yours?" he asked. "Benjamin...How do you do?" he asked. "How do I do what?" asked Alfred, looking confused. Benjamin just stared at him. "Um...Okay. You're a strange one aren't you? You lived in the forest? Where's your parents?" asked Benjamin. "My parents are gone...I haven't seen them in forever...My brother left me too.." said Alfred sadly. Benjamin frowned. "How did they go away? Are they coming back? Why did they leave you all alone? Did they not like you anymore? Is that why they left?" asked Benjamin. Alfred teared up at that, bottom lip trembling. Benjamin's mother seemed to notice and immediately scolded her son. "He's Martha and James's son. You know they died. Why would you bring that up and hurt him like that? He's the only other boy your age. That's it. Double chores for you. I'm so sorry he did that," said the woman before pulling the boy away. Benjamin glared at Alfred as he was dragged away, making him think he may have just made an enemy. Alfred rubbed his eyes fiercely and went to a dark corner to sulk as the adults started to gather. One of the women put him in charge of watching one of the toddlers. He played peek-a-boo with it before looking around and leaning down to the baby. "Want to see somethign cool?" he asked the baby. The child nodded, unable to speak. Alfred looked around and cupped his hands before opening them, revealing a flower The baby blinked before giggling and clapping her hands together. "I'm not very good at it...but I like plants. I'm good with plants...Do you think I'll be able to help them?" asked Alfred quietly. The baby simply giggled and Alfred smiled before continuing their game of peek-a-boo. He looked up when the town meeting became an angry mob of angry, hissing poeple. He shrank back in fear, taking the baby into his arms just in case the adults became violent. "What do you mean we don't have any food? We put some in storage! Where did it all go?!" shouted a man. "Listen folks, there's no reason to be upset...well there is but no reason to point fingers. Yes, we had some grain in storage but we have since then used it all up. We're down to what we all have in our homes. We may need to ask people to start bringing in food from their homes to help sustain those who may be low or running out. Let's try to help out our neighbors," said a balding old man in the front of the room. "What food? All of our food is gone because you didn't tell us we needed to ration it more carefully than we already have been! There was months worth of food in that bin, if it's gone it's because someone has been dipping into it!" shouted a woman, angrily waving a pair of knitting needles into the air. Alfred turned the baby so it couldn't see any of the angry people and tried to hum softly to drown out the yelling. Why hadn't the baby's mother come looking for it? "N-Now now...No one's stole anything. There's no reason to get so angry. Remember folks, there are children afoot. We wouldn't want to give them a bad example now, would we?" he asked, raising his hand as if trying to calm an angry animal. "Children who will starve because of your negligence! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DOUBLE DIPPED, WEREN'T YOU?!" shouted an older woman. That sent the other settlers into a frenzy. Alfred whimpered, the baby started crying at the shouting. Once the baby started crying, a man turned and frowned at the crying baby and tearing up child holding her. "STOP! STOP THIS INSTANT! ARGUING IS GETTING US NOWHERE!" he shouted, standing up on a pew. The room died down to where only the baby's cries and Alfred's sniffling could be heard. Sarah frowned and rushed over to Alfred with the baby's mother, each one taking their child and immediately comforting them. "You're right. This isn't going anywhere. Arguing won't bring the food back," said Adam. "Then what do you suggest we do? We're going to starve if we keep going like this. We have no help. Let's face it, England isn't going to look for us. Why would they give two shits about a group of poor settlers? We're collateral damage. If we come back, they get money. If we don't, well at least they can brag that they tried it first. We can't just sit here with our thumbs under our legs waiting for someone to come rescue us. We can't fight about what could've been. We need to take action and we need to take action right now," said another man. "And what do you suggest?" asked Sarah, rubbing Alfred's back gently. "I know we are all scared of the natives...but what if they really can help us? They've lived here for who knows how long and they do not go hungry. They prosper and help each other out. Perhaps our common human nature is enough to enlist them of their help. We must try something. I for one believe if we do not reach out, my heart would die that much more burdened than if I actually tried something," said the pastor. "How do we communicate with people who speak a language of which we've never heard? What if they attack us instead? What then? It seems risky," said a man. "The language thing is not a problem...Alfred can speak their language. I've heard him do so before and he has lived with them for some time. If he is willing, I believe we can figure out a way for him to get their help. If not, he may know some way to restore our crops or find food in the forest. We have to try something," said Adam. The pastor looked at Alfred with a slight frown. "But why...he's just a boy. You think we should leave the task of saving the settlement to a small child?" he asked in an astonished voice. "He's a smart boy. He survived where and when none other has. He has lost everything and manages to come back to not only live with his own kind but to also offer his help. Alfred, you asked if you could help last night, yes?" asked Adam. Alfred nodded eagerly. "You guys are my people, my family. I wanna help!" he said happily. "Are you willing to return to the Indians? To face them again? We'll be asking the closest tribe for help. I need to know you'll be willing to listen to us and follow all of the instructions we give you. If we do this wrong, we might make thing work, understood?" said the man Alfred decided must be the town leader. Alfred hesitantly nodded. "I can do that! And they're not that bad. They can be a bit mean but they helped me out before! Chowanoke even let me stay in her hut once when it rained really bad," said Alfred. The men didn't seem to know how to take this but Adam smiled. "See? He is quite capable of helping us. He even knows their people well. We can do this. We'll get help. We'll find away to make it until the next supply ship comes to check up on us in the spring. Perhaps even Sir Kirkland will be with them. The light at the end of the tunnel is quickly approaching," said Adam. Alfred nodded eagerly. "I don't mind helping! It's why I came back!" he said happily. Sarah chuckled. "As long as you're certain the boy will be able to help without interferring too much. We don't want to make things worse or start any problems with them. We can only take one thing at a time," said the pastor, running a hand through his hair. Adam nodded. "It'll be fine. I'm sure Alfie will be a big help," he said, taking the boy from Sarah with a slight smile. "But he might be one of them. One of the savages. You said he was with them for a long time. What if this is all just a set up for a huge trap? What if they were the ones who stole the grain?" asked another man, face turning purple from held back rage and dickitry. "Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? The child is not even five years old and you're accussing him of treason. Right after he volunteered to help us all!" said Sarah, looking like she was ready to hit the man. "We're all scared but pointing fingers, as I keep having to explain, won't solve anything. In fact, right now it just might make everything worse for us. You risk chasing off the one person who will be capable of doing a decent job of keeping us all safe," said the town leader from before. "Shove it Jefferson. If this doesn't work, you're the first person who goes," grumbled Mr. Angry-eyes. "It's decided. A group of five men will go with the boy and negotiate with them. Don't take any weapons with you except knives. We don't want them getting the wrong idea about why we're here. I sugges the five men to go would be Adam, myself, the pastor, Jeremiah, and Issac," said the group leader, ignoring Angry-eyes. "We leave tomorrow at noon. As for right now, we should probably get back to our homes. It sounds like the storm outside is starting to pick up," said Adam, wrapping his coat around Alfred. The other men nodded and people started going home. "I'm sorry you had to hear all the fighting Alfred. Normally our town halls are a lot more civil. There should be a pot of broth waiting for us at home. I hope you don't mind squirrel too much...it's what our traps had in them this morning," said Sarah. "Squirrel is better than chipmunks," said Alfred with a slight shrug. Adam raised an eyebrow at that but rubbed the boy's back. "You sure you want to help us with the Indians?" asked Adam. Alfred nodded. "I know Chowanoke pretty well. She's nice. Her brother is mean. They change places every now and again so it might take some time to find them," he sighed, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he rested his cheek on Adam's shoulder. Adam looked confused but continued rubbing the boy's back. "You can tell me all about that tomorrow. You look like you're ready to hit the hay. It's been a long day for you now, hasn't it?" he asked. "It's been a fun day," corrected Alfred, losing the battle against his drooping eyelids. Alfred woke the next day, surprised to find himself in his bed. He jumped out of bed and walked down to the kitchen, smelling something cooking in the kitchen. "Good morning Alfred. I'm sorry, it's not the biggest breakfast. We're having squirrel patties...Too bad none of the rabbits get stuck in my traps. They seem to be too smart for that," said Sarah. Alfred gasped, silently being glad he warned the rabbits to not come into town. He didn't want anyone accidentally hurting any of them. "It's fine. I don't like eating rabbits. They're too cute," he said, digging into the plate of food placed before him. "Right, I forgot your little bunny friends. Well don't worry sweetie, I don't think they'll be coming anywhere near the town. They're probably sleeping in the trees and bushes now that winter is here. The men will be here in a few hours to pick you up. Adam is arranging things with them right now. Until then, would you be willing to help me do more laundry?" she asked. Noon seemed to take an eternity to come around, at least that's what it felt like to Alfred. He couldn't stop squirming as he passed Sarah various articles of clothing. Sarah smirked. "You must be very excited. I think you've lost the complete ability to sit still," she smirked, teasingly poking him in his pudgy tummy. Alfred giggled, completely and utterly ticklish. "Yeah! I get to see one of my adopted siblings again! Maybe she will even make me her stew!" said Alfred with a smile. Sarah smiled. "Well I do hope she's cordial with you. Tell me more about her...Do you have other adopted siblings?" she asked. "I guess you can call them that. Some of them can be really nice but some of the other ones don't like us because of our adopted mom. She doesn't really like me and she didn't like Mattie. She only took us in because our real mom made her. She felt too guilty to let Mattie and I die...Sometimes she could be nice. Sometimes she wasn't," said Alfred. Sarah ran a hand through Alfred's hair. The boy's excitement seemed to make him more willing to talk about what happened. "So Mattie was with you when you lived with the Indians? What happened to him?" she asked gently, watching him carefully for any alarm the question may bring the child. Alfred's chin wobbled as he looked down at his feet. "H-He left me...We were going to come home and look for our Daddy...and Mattie left. He won't ever be coming back," he whimpered. Sarah frowned and pulled the child close. From what she gathered, James died in the forest and Martha shielded the children from the death. She guided the children to the closest source of people, asked them for help, and died in their camp. The chiefstess or a tribeswoman must have took pity on the children and took them in, though the children weren't used to the way the Indians raised their children. The children then left to find the settlement, but Matthew died. "I'm so sorry to hear that Alfred...I'm sure your sister would be happy to see you. Just make sure you and Adam get back safe, okay? I don't want to have to fix any boo boos. And I'm sure your family is in a better place. We'll take care of you here," she said, rubbing his back. Alfred wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that but leaned into her touch. "I might be able to see Mattie and my Dad someday...and I still have my mother with me," he said quietly. "I know dear. We'll all see the ones we lost someday. And your mother is with you in your heart," said Sarah with a smile, gently tickling him again. Alfred giggled and was still fighting in the tickle war when Adam came back. The man smiled when he saw his wife and adopted son playing. "Alfred, are you ready to go? We'll be leaving in twenty minutes," he said. Alfred nodded eagerly and ran to his bed where he had hidden the box of his things under. Adam kissed Sarah and said his goodbye as Alfred quickly changed back into his furs and animal skins. The two settlers blinked when they turned and found him all dressed up. "This way they recognize me! Besides it's warmer than the nightgown!" declared Alfred before marching up to Adam. "Do you really need the knife lad?" he asked gently. "It's just in case we find some animals! Or berries. That, and it's my lucky knife. I don't go anywhere without it," said Alfred confidently. Sarah looked like she disapproved but Adam smirked. "Well we're definitely going to need the luck. Alright Alfred, we're going to the town center then you can lead the way," he said. **Let me know what you guys think and what historical events** **you really hope to see included in the story! Reviews accepted!**


	5. Chapter 5: Big Sister!

The other men were already waiting for them when they arrived, knives packed under their threadbare coats. "You let your boy out of the house wearing that?" asked one of the men. "He said it would help them recognize him easier. Be nice to the kid. You go after him, you're losing the both of us and can figure this all out on your own," warned Adam. The man sighed but nodded. "Alright Alfred, where should we go? Can we walk there or would it take some camping time?" asked the Pastor gently.

"We shouldn't camp. There's bears out there and other animals. Besides, it's going to get really cold over night and you guys probably don't have the stuff we need to survive it," said Alfred without a thought. Jefferson raised an eyebrow at that but Adam nodded in agreement. "Most of our tents got destroyed during the building. Anything we have left is probably in pieces by now. And we certainly don't have the supplies...a one day trip is our best bet," said Adam.

"I agree. Lead on child before night comes a falling," said the Pastor gently. Alfred nodded and ran ahead into the forest. Adam smirked at the child's excitement and followed, waving at the men to hurry up. "Alfred, you're supposed to guide us there. Not leave us behind," he chuckled. Alfred spun around, looking guilty. "Oh! Sorry! I can wait. You guys need to be careful not to get tired and fall asleep. You might not wake up," he said, hearing Georgie whisper the advice he hoped his father would heed.

The men looked baffled at that before Adam shook his head at them. "He lost his parents. Father died on the way to their camp and mother got sick and died at the camp. More than likely they died in their sleep," he said in hushed tones Alfred wouldn't over hear. The Pastor and Jefferson's face fell. "Ah right...That makes a lot of sense. Poor boy," said Jefferson slowly, not sure what to say. "That poor boy. I'll hold the next service in rememberance of them. Martha and James were good Christians," he muttered.

"Are you guys coming?" called Alfred from several feet in front of them. Adam smirked. "Don't worry. The boy's tough. He won't let it get him down," he said before going after the boy. Alfred hummed an old chant as he walked along to the amusement of the men. "How long do you think it will take for us to get there?" asked Jefferson. "An hour. Maybe less if they recognize me and lead me to their camp. This is one of her brother's colors," said Alfred, pointing at the pattern along the hem of his shirt.

They wallked for about forty five minutes before Alfred paused. "What is it-" Adam was cut off by Alfred holding up a finger and listening to a bird call in the distance. Alfred quicky answered the call with one of his own. There was a response and he turned around. "They're gonna let us in. Let me do the talking and don't try to start any fights. Also, take any food they offer you. It's rude not to eat food someone offers you. They'll be really nice and there's gonna be a bonfire too!" said Alfred with a grin.

The men slowly nodded and followed Alfred to the camp, blinking when a girl looking about ten years old approached them, wearing furs and a bright smile. "Dyami! It's so good to see you again. Where's Kanata? Who are these men with you?" she asked. "They're my new friends. That one took me in. They're my Papa's people...and mine now too. Matthew left...he went north. These people need help finding food or they're going to go hungry. They don't have much of it left," he explained.

Chowanoke frowned and looked over the men. "That explains the rumors…" she said quietly. "What rumors?" asked Alfred cheerfully. Chowanoke looked at the younger boy. "Alfred..How long have you been with these people? I haven't felt you in my territory for some time now…" she asked gently. Alfred tilted his head, looking confused. "Only a few days. Adam found me and now I'm his son," he said. That made a sad look come across the girl's face.

"There's been stories of pale ghost skeletons walking the forests around here...No wonder why people thought that…The settlers look like they're only skin and bones," she said. Alfred looked at the men, surprised he didn't see it before. He had been so excited that he had found people like him that he didn't even notice the gauntness of their face or how their clothes hung off of them. They've been starving for some time now. No wonder why so many people were mad at last night's meeting.

"What is she saying Alfie?" asked Adam. The other men looked a little uncertain about what to do. Alfred hesitated. "They thought you were ghosts...That's why they haven't helped before. They thought you were spirits come to claim the island. It's because you remind her of skeletons," said Alfred honestly. The men looked uncomfortable with that. "Have you asked her for help yet son? Explained to them our situation?" asked the Pastor gently, taking his hat off in respect for the girl.

"Nope but I'll ask right now!" he said cheerfully before turning back to Chowanoke. "They need your help. They don't know how to hunt, gather, or farm and are running out of grain. Right now they're surviving on the squirrels and birds they can catch and they have three pigs left in the entire village. They're going to starve if no one helps them," said Alfred, looking at his older adopted sister with watery puppy dog eyes. Chowanoke chuckled. "No need for the eyes Dyami. I'm going to help. I can't let these people suffer so much," she said.

"You're going to help us? Thank you Chowie!" Alfred said happily. "What did she say?" asked the Pastor. "She's going to help us!" he said. The men smiled and nodded happily. The pastor handed the girl a few coins of gold, shaking her hand happily as he did so. Chowanoke looked a bit confused but smiled and shook his hand in return before turning to Alfred. "Wait...Shouldn't we talk to her father or the chief?...Or is this how they do things?" asked Jefferson. "She's the, um, chief's daughter. Her word is binding," lied Alfred.

"...I forgot myself. They don't know that we're immortal do they?" she asked, eyes wrinkling in concern. "They don't know I am...Like I said, I just met them. They're people aren't like yours or Aiyanna's. They aren't as connected to the Earth for some reason...but they have me as a guide. I'll help them. You know I'm connected," he said proudly. Chowanoke laughed, tapping his foot gently. "I know. I remember your brand of magic little one.

"Alfred, why don't you and your people come and share my fire? I believe we have a stew bubbling and your men look like they can eat...So do you. Have you lost weight little one?" she asked. Alfred looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You look skinny and pale...Nations reflect the state of their people and it looks like you're starting to reflect your settlement," she said gently. Alfred's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't worry...It won't affect you as fast or as seriously….Well I'm not sure about the serious part. Are they your only people on this land? Are there any more of them?" asked Chowanoke. "I don't know….These ones are the first ones that I have met. They're the only ones I have met," said Alfred. Chowanoke frowned. "That means they're the ones you're bonded to. I'm sorry Alfie but you're going to be feeling it a bit stronger than a normal representation would. But I'll be there to help you. I'll teach them how to help themselves," said Chowanoke happily.

Alfred nodded slowly, before turning to the settlers and telling them about the food waiting for them. "Just don't tell Aiyanna...She said she didn't want anyone helping me out too often. She thinks I need to learn how to take care of myself…" said Alfred. Chowanoke sighed and nodded. "I know. She put out a notice to all of my siblings and I...but I'm sure a hand here and there won't be anything she will hear about. You're still very young and it doesn't look like your settlers are doing well anyways," she said.

Alfred nodded and followed her to the fire. Her people stared at them as they walked in, backing away if they drew near. The shaman even started a soft chant under his breath in hopes of scaring the spirts away. Chowanoke spoke to him and quickly explained what was going on. The Shaman's eyes widened and he went to call for the chief. After the Shaman completed his task, he came to the men and pressed handfuls of nuts into their palms, gesturing that they were to eat them.

The men sat down and were surprised by how much food was handed to them. "What do they ask for in repayment? Surely they don't have enough food to feed us all of this," asked Adam, incredeous. Alfred shook his head. "They wish to be friends. Besides, it's their tradition to help others and welcome guests. That and they know me. They wouldn't turn someone in need away if they could help it. Just be sure to be polite, respectful of their traditions, and let them know you're grateful for whatever they give you," said Alfred, taking the bowl of stew from Chowanoke.

"Of course. Are you sure they don't want payment? We do have some gold...not very much though. A-And I'm sure we can find some way to do some work, help them out here and there," offered the pastor. "They won't accept any of that until they know you're doing better. That, and they don't really use money. They barter with items. Gold doesn't mean the same thing to them that it does to you. Maybe instead offer them some blankets or teach them how spin wool," offered Alfred.

The men nodded and started attempting to converse with the men of the tribe that came to greet them. Alfred turned back to Chowanoke for help. "Only about ten or fifteen of them are still alive. There's one child that looks my age, er, the age I look like, and a baby. There's six or seven men and the rest are women. They've ran out of grain, have three pigs, and their clothing is beginning to worn thin but I don't think that's a real problem right now. They're fighting with each other a lot," said Alfred.

Chowanoke nodded. "Adults do that when they're stressed out. I'm sure it'll stop once they start getting our help. Then I'm sure your settlement will get big again. Where did they come from anyways? Can't the people that sent them here send them food? I've seen the big canoes a few times. They are big enough to carry the food," said Chowanoke. Alfred shrugged. "They come from my dad but they said that the ships will take too long to get here and that no one was going to come for a while," he said.

"That's strange. So you haven't met your real father yet?" she asked, frowning. Alfred shook his head. "Only his people. They told me a little bit about them and this thing called tea, but I haven't seen even a drawing of him. But they tell me he's coming here soon! Unless…" Alfred trailed off. Chowanoke raised an eyebrow. "Unless what Dyami?" she asked as the chief started talking to Jefferson as best as he could. "...Unless he already chose Matthew over me…" he muttered.

"Alfred, your father would not do that. Matthew have acted harshly but parents are supposed to be nice and kind…" she said, trailing off when she rememered how indifferent Aiyanna could be to the twins growing up. Alfred fell silent and simply nodded. Chowanoke softly sighed. "Alfred, I will help you. No matter what Mother may say. I know Grandmother is quite smitten with you and your brother. She will help you as much as she possibly can. Until then, I want to see those cute dimples of yours," she said, softly teasing.

Alfred beamed at her before hugging her. "Thank you Chowanoke. I wish you were my real big sister," he said. She ruffled his hair. "We're bonded by blood through the Earth. You know that. I'll always act as your big sister," he said. Alfred nodded happily. "Go on now and eat the rest of your stew. I'll gather up some things I want you to bring back with you to your settlement. I can't send you back empty handed after seeing how badly you're suffering. You'll have enough food to feed your people for a while…" she said.

"You're going to help me teach them how to grow food? ...You know the only way I know how to do it right now is using magic and I'm not sure how well these people would take to it. I don't think they have magic like you and I do. I wonder if my dad has magic if none of his people can do it," he said. "Well...maybe try to help them carefully? Though I'm not sure if you'll really be able to do much with the winter coming in as hard as it is this time of year. Just be careful Dyami," she said.

Alfred sighed and nodded. He wished he could just wave his hand and fix everything. He and the men quickly finished their meals, thanked Chowanoke and her people for their hospitality, and got up to leave. True to her word, Chowanoke and her people started offering the men gifts of food and blankets, which were taking with great gratitude. "Are you sure they want nothing in return?" asked the Pastor. Alfred smiled. "See her there? She's my big sister. She takes care of me. Her people are going to help us because it's the right thing to do," said Alfred proudly.

The men nodded and made it clear that they were forever thankful for the help and generosity of the tribe before starting their trek back home. "Are all her kind like that? I know there's some other tribes but they didn't seem as friendly," said Adam. Alfred shrugged. "Some of the others aren't as quick to warm up to outsiders as Chowanoke. It might take a bit longer for them to even consider um...not attacking...when they first see someone strange. They aren't used to people like us," said Alfred.

"They seem very used to you," said Jefferson. Alfred sighed. "I kinda grew up with them. I know a lot of them or they know someone who knows of me. They know not to hurt me," he explained. "And why is that child?" asked the Pastor. "They know I'm a friend. They knew my mother's last wish before she died and news travels pretty fast," he said. The men fell quiet at that. Alfred didn't seem to notice, happily continuing along the path, directing them back to the settlement.

There was a crowd of people waiting for them at the edge of the settlementwhen they came back. "Look Alfie, the whole town came out for us," grinned Adam, having picked up the sleepy toddler and carried him the last twenty minutes back. "Some town. There's not much of them left. Where's McGregor?" asked Jefferson, frowning when he looked around for one of the older men. The Pastor frowned. "His wife is missing as well. Don't tell me we lost another one while we were gone," he said.

Adam softly kept a hand over Alfred's ear before walking toward the group. "What did they say?" "Are you all right?" "Are they going to help us?" "They sent you back with food?!" The town immediately bombarded them with questions when they spotted the group coming out of the forest. "We're fine. They were very friendly and sent us back with enough food to feed us for a few days. The chief is planning on sending a few people over to help teach us how to hunt and gather food. They won't teach us how to farm until the spring, but they said they'll make sure we have a way to support ourselves figured out during the winter," said Adam.

"What happened to McGregor? He and his wife aren't here," said Jefferson, looking around the crowd. "Trisha fell ill. Thomas is tending to him but...it doesn't look very good. She isn't holding down any of the food we can manage to give her despite her having not eaten well for a good amount of time now," said a woman hesitantly. Jefferson frowned. "What do you mean? If it's the flu...now that we have food it is possible we can revive her or at least help her get some of her strength back," he said, holding up one of the pots of stew he had brought back.

"It's not that it's just that...She's gotten so thin that Thomas accidentally broke her wrist helping her get out of bed this morning...and she decided to get up out of bed when his back was turned and broke a hip. We know she isn't going to last long. We don't even have someone that could give her proper attention. Alice died months ago from that wasting disease," muttered an older woman, squeezing her husband's hand as she explained what happened.

Adam frowned. "But perhaps we can still convince her to save her strength and eat some food," he said. "Dear, I know your heart is in the right place but...the food we were given will only last so long. We can't be sure the natives will keep their promise or remember us. We need to make sure this food lasts as long as possible...and we know she isn't going to survive either way," said Sarah softly. Alfred looked shocked. "B-But...she's one of you, us. You're just going to leave her behind?" he asked softly.

"Dear don't think of it as leaving her behind. She'll be moving on to a much better place than this. Besides...she's asked that no one but her husband see her. She doesn't want to risk making the rest of us sick. With so few of us, it's important that we think about what's best for the group," said Sarah softly, running a hand through his hair. Alfred looked horrified by the consideration but came up with an idea. He'll just sneak into the McGregor's house and give her food and maybe try to use a little bit of magic to make her feel better. That way she doesn't have to feel sick anymore!

 **Before you ask, no, none of the tribal representations' names have been made up. American, I believe Canada does this as well, towns,** **cities, and other areas after the tribes that lived near them. That is why America's early name isn't Roanoke, as there is already a representation that goes by that name. Thought I'd clear that up. Will Chowanoke save the day? Or will all of the settlers mysteriously disappear before any help arrives just the way all the history textbooks predict? Find out next week! (And review!)**


	6. Chapter 6: McGregor's Dramatic Backstory

Alfred waited a couple of days to carry out his plan so the town's people wouldn't be suspicious of him. When he knew Sarah and Adam were fast asleep and not going to wake up, he made sure of it by poking them to no response, he made a little basket of bread and jerky. "Where are you going? It's the middle of the night. You're supposed to be sleeping!" said Georgie. Alfred raised a finger to his mouth, shushing him, before gesturing that Georgie should follow him. Georgie hesitated before remembering he didn't exactly have a lot to lose since he was kinda dead.

"Don't you need a candle or something so you can see? Or at least shoes?" asked Georgie, floating at Alfred's shoulder. Alfred waited until he was out of anyone's earshot to speak. "I don't need it because this is my land and I know it like the back of my hand. Plus, I'm trying to draw some energy from the ground in case Mrs. McGregor is really sick and need some help," he explained. Georgie frowned. "Mrs. McGregor? What do you want with Mrs. McGregor? Besides, how is you being barefoot going to do anything except get you to catch your death?" he asked.

Alfred huffed. "I'm not like you Georgie. I'm not a normal kid. I'm the personification of the land. Immortal. Nothing can hurt me unless it's another personification or if the settlement ends up going bad, but I'm going to make sure that the settlement and everyone in it survives and is happy. They're my new family and I don't leave my family behind," he said. Georgie stared at him. "You're crazy. Did the natives put something in your food?" he asked.

"I'm not crazy and Chowanoke would never do that! Besides, it's true. How do you think I know Chowanoke? I've been alive at least a hundred years...I kinda lost track. I'm not so good at counting yet," he admitted. Georgie looked at him. "Are you some kind of witch?" he breathed, looking astonished. Alfred frowned. "No. What's that?" he asked. "An evil person who uses magic. They used to burn them at the stake back in England. But...you don't look like a witch," said Georgie hesitantly.

"Shh. This is the McGregor's house. Now how do we get in without them noticing?" he mumbled. "Do some of your magic. You said you had some. Prove it!" said Georgie. "...You do realize you're a ghost no one else can see right? How else could I see you?" asked Alfred. "Ha ha ha. Maybe it's because you're the only boy about my age. Don't tell me it's magic because I know you're just as normal as I am...or was," said Georgie. Alfred made a face at him. "Just watch," he said.

Alfred snuck over to the door and flicked his fingers, contorting his face slightly as he concentrating on getting the lock to slide over. After a few seconds, they both heard a click and the door slowly opened a crack. Georgie blinked. "T-That's impossible. M-Maybe the lock was loose and the wind blew it open...You can't have any magic," he said. Alfred smirked. "I have magic and you know it. Now hush up and lets get the bread to Mrs. McGregor," he said, sneaking in.

Georgie frowned. "It smells like death in here...and cabbage," he said. "You're a ghost. Doesn't everything smell like death to you?" asked Alfred. Georgie made a face. "That's not funny...okay it was a little funny but not the right time," he said. "...What's that scarecrow doing on the bed next to Mr. McGregor?" asked Georgie. Alfred shook his head and slowly crawled over to look at it, covering his mouth when he realized the scarecrow was actually a living skeleton of a woman.

"T-That's Mrs. McGregor?! She looks like she already died...Is he keeping the skeleton of his wife in bed with him?!" yelped Georgie, cowering behind Alfred. Alfred whimpered and hesitantly searched for the woman's wrist and looked for a pulse, eyes wide when he felt a heart beat, weak but still there. "What is it? Is she dead? She doesn't feel dead," asked Georgie. Alfred shook his head. "She's still alive...I think she's just really sick. I don't think my magic could fix this…" he said.

A hand came down hard on his shoulder. "What's this about magic boy and why are you in my house?" growled an old man. Alfred jumped and looked up to find the old man who was causing such a fuss at the meeting glaring at him. The man had dark circles under his eyes and looked years older than the last time Alfred had saw him. "I-I came because I wanted to help you and your wife...We got food and Adam said it might help her feel better but the rest of the town didn't want to bring you any…" Alfred whimpered.

Mr. McGregor narrowed his eyes. "Where's the food then boy? And why did you feel the need to bring it to me at night?" he growled. Alfred shrank back, the grip on his shoulder actually starting to hurt. "B-Because that way no one would notice that I brought it to you...I was only trying to help. P-Please don't hurt me," he whimpered. "So you stole this food did you? Let me guess, that's how the other food went missing. You and the natives stole it before feeling guilty and pretending to want to help us! Let me guess, you're hoping you'll get gold out of us, aren't you?" snarled Mr. McGregor, holding Alfred painfully by his arm.

"No no! I would never do that. You're my people. P-Put me down it hurts! I just wanted to help. P-Please stop!" said Alfred, chin starting to wobble in fear. Georgie was panicking, not sure what to do to help. His hand kept going through Mr. McGregor's body. "Honey?" croaked the skeleton on the bed. "Everything is fine Trisha. Go back to sleep. I have a joker I need to handle," he said. The woman seemed to hesitate before falling asleep. Mr. McGregor continued to hold up Alfred.

"Now why are you really in my house? Is it because I know the truth and you came here to be rid of me? Tempt me with the forbiden fruit?" he demanded, glaring at the dried berries now littering the floor. "I-I don't know what that means! Put me down! They were meant to help you and your wife! I can see why no one wanted to give you any. You're just a big, fat, meanie. You do nothing but hurt people and yell at people and look for fights. Put me down!" he shouted.

"You were saying something about magic and now you know none of my references. Admit you have it! Admit you have magic!" shouted Mr. McGregor, grabbing a knife from the kitchen table. Alfred started tearing up and shaking, terrified. "Put me down! Put me down! I'm not doing anything wrong! I just wanted to help!" he sobbed. McGregor growled. "You are a suspicious child. You should be dead. Besides, I knew Martha and James, they were my grand nephews. You look like neither of them. Who are you really?" he asked.

"I-I'm Alfred. My name's Alfred. I'm one of you. I look like you. I talk like you. I'm one of you. P-Please stop hurting me…" he whimpered. Alfred jolted when McGregor shook him. "Liar! The Jones's kid wasn't called Alfred. Neither of them were!" he shouted. "I don't remember my real name! I don't remember put me down!" begged Alfred. Georgie had disappeared, leaving Alfred on his own to figure out an escape. "Put him down you fiend!" shouted someone familiar.

McGregor spun around, revealing Adam with a musket in the doorway. A couple of townsmen were with him. "What are you doing with my son?" snarled Adam, a murderous look in his eyes when he realized how terrified Alfred was. "He broke into my house. He is the one who needs to be lectured," growled Mr. McGregor. "Delivering the food we told him not to give you," said Jefferson with a frown. "The child was just trying to do what he thought was best. He must have thought us so cruel for denying them food," whispered the Pastor.

"I just wanted to help," whimpered Alfred, his shoulder starting to ache from being held up by his wrist. "Let go of my boy. He hasn't done anything to harm you. The door wasn't even forced open. You must have left the door open," growled Adam. "He isn't your boy. He doesn't belong to the settlement! He isn't the Jones's boy. They were related to me remember? He's working with the Indians to starve us into doing whatever they say. He isn't part of this settlement! Never has been!" shouted Mr. McGregor, shaking Alfred roughly.

Alfred let out a cry, partially from fear but also partially because he knew if he was convincing enough that the McGregor was really hurting him, the other men would be more likely to help him out instead of listening to McGregor. Adam raised the gun. "Put him down. He just finished saving all of us. You don't get to treat him like that. We need him if we want to continue getting help," he said. The Pastor frowned. "Perhaps we are all letting the tension of the situation get to our heads," he said.

"There! There you just said it! Without him the natives wouldnt' bat an eye to help you. Why is that?" asked McGregor. "I doubt they would help someone who they consider one of their own. You're delusional from grief. Just put the boy and the knife down," said Jefferson. McGregor waved the knife around, making Alfred flinch as he watched the knife in terror. He had never been attacked by normal humans but some of Aiyanna's children had attacked him before. Besides, it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt until the wound healed.

"There! You just said it! You need him to get help. That's just want they want out of us! Why have to learn how to barter and trade with us when they know that if we're starving, we'll give them whatever they want as long as they can keep us alive. They can only benefit from this situation!" said McGregor. "Perhaps they're actually doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Things are simpler on this side of the world. They don't feel compelled by society to turn everything into a game of tit for tat," said the Pastor.

"If you don't put my boy down, I will shoot. Drop the knife at the very least and then we can talk like real men," said Adam. "Don't shoot him!" yelped Alfred, not wanting to be the reason why one of his own people gets killed. That surprised the men. "Why not?" asked Adam. "S-Someone needs to take care of Mrs. McGregor...and she can see and hear all of this. She's probably scared like I am. I-I just want to go home. I'm sorry. I promise I'll go back and stay in my bed. I just wanted to help!" said Alfred, starting to bawl.

"He does have a point. Trisha is right over there," warned the Pastor in a low voice. Mr. McGregor hesitated before sighing and putting the boy down. "Is that Paul?" croaked a voice from the corner. The men frowned. Alfred rushed over to Adam and hid behind his legs. Pain swept across Mr. McGregor's face. "No...I wish it was dear..but no. Paul….has gone out with his friends. He said he was going to be back later tonight. Remember?" he said hoarsely.

Trisha shook her head and pointed at Alfred. "Paul's right there. Paul, come kiss Mummy goodbye," she said weakly. "Alfred you don't have to," muttered Adam. McGregor had tears of frustration in his eyes. Alfred swallowed. "H-Hi Mummy...I need to go soon. My friends are waiting for me but Father is going to sit here with you okay?" he said, focusing his energy on her. She was barely there. He knew the woman was about to fall asleep from how hard of a time she seemed to be having keeping her eyes open.

Alfred walked over to the woman and let her pat his head and put a very awkward kiss on his cheek. He wrinkled his nose. He had thought he had gotten away with not having a grandmother yet here he was still getting grandma kisses and cheek pinches. Mr. McGregor stood by his wife's bed. Trisha turned toward her husband. "Isn't he such a good boy?" she asked before closing her eyes. Mr. McGregor frowned. "Trisha?" he asked softly. The Pastor gently pulled Alfred away from the bed.

"Trisha! Trisha wake up! T-They brought food. We're getting help. It's getting better! It's going to get better! Wake up! Please...wake up for me," sobbed Mr. McGregor. The men exhanged a look. The Pastor stepped forward. "Perhaps we should say a prayer-" "YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" shouted McGregor. The Pastor jumped, looking confused. "I simply offered to pray for your wife," he said. "Not you. HIM! This would have never have happened if he hadn't come here!" shouted McGregor, pointing a finger wildly at Alfred.

A crowd was slowly starting to grow behind them. "You want to blame this on him? He's been nothing but caring and compassionate toward you and your wife. He brought you food when no one else would lift a hand to save you. He wouldn't let us shoot or hurt you. He even pretended to be your son so your wife could have peace in her last moments! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you that narrowminded and hateful that you won't see that you're doing nothing but scaring a poor child?!" asked Adam, pushing Alfred into the crowd where he knew the women would comfort him.

"He did this. He probably brought whatever disease that killed her-" Jefferson jumped in. "You mean starvation? We're all starving. She isn't the only one that's been lost! I've lost my wife. We've lost half the town, half the boat in the past few months long before the child reappeared in our settlement. We were starving before he disappeared! This has nothing to do with him. You cannot blame him for what happened. If you want to blame someone, blame the king!" growled Jefferson.

"Jefferson, that's enough. We're all panicky but let's not say anything we may regret," said the Pastor, shocked. "It's no one's fault but the boy's and those savages. They killed her. They killed Trisha. They could have helped us long before it got this bad. Instead they chose to hide from us and let us starve! And then the other tribe attacked us and killed my son!" shouted McGregor. "They didn't kill Paul and you know that. That native looked pretty shock to see us there. He didn't do it," huffed Adam.

Alfred frowned. His son had been killed? Chowanoke would have mentioned that unless….His eyes widened. No. No it couldn't be.. "He was standing over my boy! Paul would know better than to fall into a ditch. He wouldn't have been caught in a land slide. There weren't any rocks or anything to prove he died that way. He was killed! He was killed and not only did they take my son but they took my wife and turned you all against me!" shouted McGregor, starting to break down into tears.

A woman spotted Alfred and immediately scooped him up, rubbing his back. "Poor babe, you just wanted to help didn't you?" she asked. Alfred nodded and buried his face in her shoulder, starting to become a teary, snotty mess. She pat his back. "Don't worry dear...Everything will be fine. Let's get you back to Sarah. I know she's worried about you and is waiting at home for yout to come back. You're probably sleepy aren't you little one?" she asked, gently rubbing his back. Alfred felt himself slowly fall asleep.

"He's gone. He just left. No one can find him in town. The Pastor stayed with him overnight and didn't even hear him go. He left early in the morning...his wife's body is missing as well. Jefferson found a grave dug behind their house," Alfred heard someone whisper early in the morning. "Does this have anything to do with Alfred? He does seem obsessed with the idea that Alfred is a traitor...one of the savages. Do you think he's planning on hurting the boy?" asked Sarah.

Alfred woke up at that, pretending to be asleep. "I don't know. We're trying to find him. Too bad he was one of our better hunters. He knows how to cover his tracks. We're sending a search party out but it doesn't look like it's going to be too promising," said Adam. Sarah sighed. "Well...there's not much use looking. He's going to starve or get sick and die in this weather with no food. If he hasn't died already," she said. "Hush woman. If the boy hears you say that he's going to want to go look," hissed Adam.

"...You're right. We'll look for him..only to make sure that he does nothing to hurt our boy. I already lost one son. I'm not going to lose another. Not so soon after he finally started opening up to us. I'm concerned about McGregor...You know how much he loved his family. I think Trisha finally broke his spirit. Or his mind. He's losing it," said Sarah. Adam sighed. "There's one more thing...When we searched his house, his gun and hunting knives were missing.." said Adam.

Sarah gasped. "He's going to hurt Alfred. He's going to do something drastic. We need to tell Jefferson," she said, panicking. "Sarah-" "Wake up Alfred and...wait no. He'll want to help and might get in the way. I'll pack up our food and supplies. You look for weapons. We're going to stay at my sister's house. We need to hide until we find him," she said. "Sarah, he isn't in town. We looked. All the houses, including the abandoned ones, have been looked through. We're sure he left town," he said.

"Where is he going then?" asked Sarah. Adam sighed. "...We think he went to go hunt down the indians that killed his son. We already sent people to go warn the Chowanokes. We're hoping that there's a way for us to let them know that he's dangerous and out for blood. Maybe even ask them for directions to the tribe that killed Paul. We didn't bring Alfie because we were afraid it would freak him out or make him want to intervene like he did last time," sighed Adam.

"You're probably right. We're lucky that the wind blew the door open the way it did...and that he forgot to lock it properly. If that didn't happened we would have never been able to realize what he was doing. I'm certain McGregor meant to do him harm," said Sarah. Adam sighed. "He had a knife to the boy's throat when I got there...Mcgregor meant to do more than harm. He meant to kill the boy. We're lucky we got there when we did. He'd be dead a minute later," he said.

Alfred frowned. He locked the door...or at least he made sure to close it tight enough that it wouldn't fly open. What was she talking about? He may look like her was four or five but he knew enough to keep from making stupid mistakes like that. He listened carefully before cracking an eye open when he was sure that they wouldn't notice. He nearly startled when he saw Georgie standing next to his bed. Alfred was about to glare at the ghost-boy for ditching him when Georgie smirked at him.

"I knew you were awake so don't worry about responding to me. You're welcome though," he said. Alfred blinked at the boy, making sure to keep huddled under the blanket enough to hide his face from his adopted parent/guardian/citizen things. "You left the door nice and closed right? Well I finally figured out how to move things! Not very well though….It looks like I can only do it in a panic, but if I work really hard, I might be able to learn how to do it a lot better!" said Georgie.

"Wait...You were the one who slammed the door open….You left to save me?" whispered Alfred quietly. Georgie nodded excitedly. "I couldn't move the knife and was starting to panic when a really nice, pretty lady appeared next to me and told me to run and get my parent's attention as best as I can. She was really pretty," said Georgie, blushing a little. Alfred blinked. "A pretty lady...What did she look like? Did she say what her name was? Oooh did she talk funny?" he asked.

Georgie blinked. "She did actually. I can't pronounce her name...it was something like Dagger or Debbie," he said. "..Dagny?" whispered Alfred. Georgie perked up. "That was it! Yeah. She was really nice. Said that she could take me to the afterlife when I was ready if she gets permission first. I hope she does. I'm going to try to be extra good before she comes back. But yeah. I came home and wasn't sure how to wake my parents up. They couldn't hear me and I couldn't figure out a way to pick up a rock long enough to break a window or make any noise so I opened the door," he said.

"...Thank you. That would have been really scary if he did try to kill me...That would have been really hard to explain when I woke up," said Alfred. Georgie blinked. "Right...I forgot that you still believed that. The lady said she was a country too though...and your mom. Was she telling the truth?" he asked. Alfred nodded. "She died before I was born. She used to represent the Nordic coloney further up north, Vinland. When she died she was pregant with my brother and I, so she had to do a spell to make sure we were born," said Alfred.

"...That doesn't make any sense. Just when I was starting to believe all of this. "It's true! She made it so we grew in a different mommy's belly. That mommy was our surrogate mother, Native America. That's why I know the tribes so well. They're my kinda brothers and sisters. Some of them don't really like me or are neutral but they can be really nice," said Alfred. Georgie blinked. "Wait...So you are one of them? McGregor was right?" he asked, sounding a bit hesitant.

Alfred shook his head. "No. I represent the people remember? You guys settled here so you're my people. I will choose you guys over them any day. Your people feed me and clothe me and are really nice. Like I said...some of my brothers and my mother could be a bit mean sometimes. I rather help the people that are nice all the time! Like your parents!" said Alfred. Georgie smiled. "That makes sense...though there are some people that aren't nice like Mr. McGregor," he said.

Alfred nodded. "Yeah...I guess you're right about that. Thanks for helping me...and believing me," he said quietly. Georgie nodded before looking up. "Quick, act like you're just waking up. My parents are coming over to check up on you. I don't think they heard any of what we said though," he said. Alfred nodded. "Meet me behind the house during chore time," he whispered back before immediately relaxing a bit and letting out a yawn, something he didn't exactly have to fake.

He felt someone ruffle his hair gently. "Alfie, how are you feeling? Did you get hurt at all?" Sarah asked quietly. "I'm fine. Adam and them came right in time," he said quietly, lying slightly. He did get hurt but it was healed now. "Hmm, I thought his fingers were going to be bruised into your neck. I'm glad to see that I was wrong. We have something to tell you, but only if you feel like you're up for more bad news," she said. Alfred frowned. "What happened?" he asked innocently.

"Mr McGegor...left. No one's seen him since last night. We think he went to go search the forest for something...We don't think he's planning on coming back. Not unless he decides he wantst to hurt you again. Until we find him and help him make peace with himself, we want you to stay near one of us or Adam's friends, okay?" said Sarah. "Make peace with himself? What happened? What happened after I left? What is he looking for?" he asked, a bit confused. Sarah sighed, looking a bit uncomfortable with the questions.

"Well dear...It's a long story. A very long and sad story that happened a bit before I think you would remember. Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked. Alfred nodded, excited since he didn't have a bedtime story the night before anyways. She sighed but gave him a small smile. "Alright...Well, Mr. McGregor came with a family. His wife and his son, Paul. Paul was about twenty years old and a very strong, very kind man. But he was very young and wanted to prove himself to the settlement. He went exploring one day by himself and ended up going missing…" she said, trailing off a little.

Alfred frowned. "But something happened to make this story sadder. What happened?" he asked. Sarah ran a hand through his hair. "Well love, the search party eventually did find him...but he wasn't alive when they found him. He had been badly injured by what was ruled as a rockslide. But Mr. McGregor never believed that. He thought that someone had gone out and hurt his son. When we found out that there were other people already living on this land, he became more certain that someone had hurt his son. He was sure it was the natives because the first tribe we met were not very friendly," she said.

Alfred frowned. "He thought that the natives did it just because they were different?" he asked. Sarah sighed. "I'm not sure. That could be one thing. People are a lot more complex than you no my dear. Anyways, we think that Mr. McGregor might be going through the forest trying to find the man who he thinks killed his son. But don't worry dear, we're looking for him. We won't let him try to hurt anyone else and we're going to do our best to keep him out of any danger," she said.

"But I can help! I'm a good tracker! I know how to talk to that tribe too. I even know the chief's soon too. Most of the children of the tribes around here around my age and even though that one isn't very nice to me, I'm sure I can get him to help us somehow like I did with Chowanoke. We don't have to worry about Mr. McGregor hurting anyone because they will know to expect it and they might help us find him!" he said.

Adam sighed. "We don't know how dangerous he may be. He already attacked you once. We can't risk him hurting you or anyone else. You udnerstand, don't you Alfred?" he asked. Alfred nodded, about to retort when he heard screaming from the edge to town. Sarah shattered a dish and ran over to Adam. "What was that?! Are you two okay? Anyone hurt?" she asked frantically. "We're fine...it came from the edge of town," said Adam, frowning. There was a silence and then more screaming, louder than before.

 **Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but finals struck harder than expected. I won't be able to update for the next month due to going on a study abroad trip for a few weeks. Hopefully you** **guys** **enjoy this! Reviews appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7: A Haunted Feeling

Adam had them drop down to the floor before crawling to the window. Sarah swallowed hard and pulled Alfred close, crawling underneath a table just in case. "What's going on?" she asked quietly. There was more screaming, this time more voices in the mix. Alfred froze when he heard the whoops of one of his siblings echo through the air. "...Roanoke...He's here. I know him. I can go talk to him and ask him what's going on. He must be afraid. We have to tell the others not to hurt him!" hissed Alfred.

Sarah slapped a hand over Alfred's mouth when she spotted a Native American on a hourse pass by their window. She shook. "Adam...What do we do? What do we do? We don't have enough ammo to fight a war. Even if we rationed the town's supply," she whimpered. Adam crawled over to them. "It's fine. It's going to be okay. I'm going to get you two to the Church. I'm sure that's where they're going to keep the women and children. Then I'm going to find Jefferson and the other men," he said.

"No. No you are not going out there and you are not risking your life. Maybe if we just stay put...they'll go away and leave us alone. We can pretend to be dead. Something. We are not going on a suicide mission. The others will have to learn to hold their own. We'll find a way to survive until the next boat. They'll be coming for us soon. I know they will," she said, begging Adam not to go into the bloodbath they could hear taking place. Alfred squrimed. "I-I can talk to them. Just let me try. I promise they won't hurt me," he said.

"No!" both of them shouted a little too loudly. They froze when they heard someone kick down their door. Sarah clutched Alfred and Adam's arm, panicking. They heard someone speak in a strange language before walking into the house. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and clung to Alfred. Adam wrapped his arms around the two of them. The footsteps stopped before the table went flying and a man covered in paints and feathers glowered at them. Sarah started crying, holding her two men close.

Alfred looked at his adopted parents before finally pulling out of Sarah's arms. "Stop. These are my people. I demand to speak to your leader," he said in the man's language. The man paused before raising an eyebrow. "You may speak my language but you are merely a child. Step aside and we might spare you," he responded. Sarah had started crying. "Alfred, Alfred please get back. Don't try talking him down. Please," she said. Adam looked lost and unsure of what to do.

Alfred lifted his chin up stubbornly. "Take me to the Shaman's son. I am his brother. If you hurt these people, you will suffer his wrath," he growled. The man frowned. "How do you know of the Shaman's son. You are not our kind. You are different. You cannot be brothers," he said. "I can assure you I know him. He does not age. Does not get sick. He looks like he's about ten years old and has for the past hundred years. He has eyes that looked like he has seen great wars. He is my brother and I am his. Take me to him. I must explain that this is a mistake," he said.

The man laughed. "I suppose I will. We're supposed to bring the people we find into the square anyways. Makes taking care of you easier when it's all at once," he grinned. Alfred blinked and took a good look at the man, the first time doing so. He paled at the sight of blood splattered on him. The man's grin widened. "Some of your people put up a bit of a fight. I was ordered to...dispose of any opposers. Tell your parents to come quietly or feel the bite of my blade," he said.

Alfred hesitated. "You swear to Mother Earth to bring me to my brother?" he asked. The man nodded, hand on the weapon at his side. Alfred turned to Adam and Sarah, who were shaking and watching the interaction with fear and panic in their eyes. Adam had his arm wrapped tightly around Sarah, who had tears silently streaming down her face. "You won't hurt them. You must promise not to hurt them," he said, turning back to the man. "Don't push it. I'm already giving one too many favors," he said before hearding the family out.

Alfred told Adam and Sarah what was going on and did his best to keep them calm. Adam suddenly grabbed Alfred when they passed a red puddle with something behind it… "Shh Alfred. How far do you think it will be to the square?" asked Adam, turning Alfred's face away as he held him to his chest. Alfred was confused but let them, figuring it was helping him feel better. Alfred looked up when they reached the square, frowning at the small amount of cowarding people in the square. Where were the rest of them?

"Sir, this boy asks to see you. He claims to be a brother. Goes by the name of Dyami. Does he speak the truth or shall I cut his tongue out?" asked the man that was their guide. Alfred spotted a boy, who looked around before scowling at him. "You. What are you doing here? I thought I told you to never come to my lands again. I want you out of here. Now," growled the boy. "What are you doing to my people? You've..you've hurt so many people. You're scaring them. Please stop," he whimpered.

"You sent that man to kill our chief's son. This is revenge. Even if I wanted to, I could do nothing to quell my boss's anger. You brought this on yourself," said Roanoke. "M-Mr. McGregor...It was an old man that attacked, wasn't it?" asked Alfred. "A man of nothing but mere skin and bones. A walking skeleton. My men thought he was the beginning form of a Wendigo. He came in howling, speaking in tongues. He was demanding something. The chief's son went to calm him...and he killed him. We killed him on the spot," said Roanoke.

"What is he saying?" asked Jefferson, looking as if he had been put through a blender. "He said that Mr. McGregor came into their tribe acting strange. He said that they tried to calm him down, the chief's son tried to calm him down. Mr. McGregor...killed him. They're acting in revenge. We provoked them…" muttered Alfred. Jeffereson's eyes widened. "H-Haven't you already done enough damage though, Roanoke. You've killed most of my people...I-I've never felt so much pain and suffering before. T-They were already starving. Chowanoke was going to help us. P-Please...Have some mercy. We'll do anything," he begged.

Roanoke couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. My leader has already demanded that everyone die...Including you. B-But...You'll come back. I'm sure you will. T-These aren't quite your people. They still have alliances to their old land. But when your real people come...you'll be stronger for this. I'm so sorry Dyami. I'll tell Chowanoke what happened...Please forgive me," he said before waving his hand. A flock of arrows flew into the people around Alfred. He started gasping, doubling over despite no arrow hitting him. When the last person fell, an arrow struck his heart and the world went black.

When Alfred came to, he was in a pile of ash, bunnies licking his hands in a despearte attempt to wake him up. He groaned, headaching and cold. But what was worse was how weak he felt. His stomach ached as if he hadn't eaten for months. He tried to get up but whimpered. The ground underneath him seemed to shift, supporting him into a seated position. "You poor child...I haven't seen anything that brutal since the fall of Rome, but if you ask me Rome was starting to get a bit cocky. Are you okay child?" asked what sounded like an older lady's voice.

Alfred looked around, seeing nothing. "Down here dearie. And don't freak out! I scared the schist out of Iroquis last time I pulled this trick on her. How's your head dear? You hit it quite hard when you fell over. Ooh, and before you try to look, know that I'm not a hallucination or ghost or any of that. I'm your grandmother. Grandmother Earth. You can call me grandma if you like," she said. Alfred looked down and yelped when he spotted a puddle of water with sticks floating in it, forming a face. Alfred scrambled back in fear, but the bunnied nuzzled him forward.

"What happened? Where am I? Why do I feel so icky?" asked Alfred. Earth sighed. "Well..your people are gone. The settler at least. You died when the majority of them died. One or two of them survived the attack...but starved to death not much longer after. I'm afraid you're just now starting to feel the effects of the starvation they had suffered for so long. Sometimes, when connecting to a people that isn't wholly yours. I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy them for very long…" she said.

Alfred frowned. "What happened…?" he asked, scooting back before feeling something beneath his hand snap. He pulled his hand away, eyes widening when he spotted a broken bone beneath it. In fact, he was surrounded by scortched bones and pieces of burnt cloths. All the blood drained from his face. "A-Adam and Sarah...Where are they? Are they okay? Did they make it out alive?" he asked, begging for information. "I'm sorry...no one made it out. There's no one left," said Earth. Alfred looked around, not recognizing any of what was left of the settlement. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes lad…"

Alfred's eyes teared up. "...B-But my magic. I can see them anyways can't I? They're never really gone….They always come back to say goodbye," he said. Earth sighed. "I don't know child. Death isn't my domain. I just control nature..the plants and dirt part. You can see if you can find someone but I must warn you, you should not attempt to force them to talk to you nor bring them back. That can not only put you in danger but it can also hurt them. If they don't come to see you, it means they've moved on. That's a good thing," she said.

Alfred nodded tearfully. "G-Georgie? Sarah...Adam? Are you there? I-I'm sorry for what happened...I'm sorry for not telling you two what I was...P-Please forgive me. I only wanted to protect you.." he whimpered. He blinked when the family appeared, their images flickering. "...Don't apologize. You did everything you could to try to help us. We know… we are still loyal to your, erm, father but...you were our home. That is more important than any motherland. You took us in, you comforted us, and you provided for us. Thank you," said Adam before disappearing.

"Thank you for being the son I needed so desperately at the time...I'm sorry I didn't have much of a long time with either of you before I died. I know you'll always remember us...and now I have the rest of eternity with my son. Take care of yourself Alfred," said Sarah before disappearing. Georgie smiled. "Thanks for taking care of them. They were kinda lost without me, so I'm glad that there was someone around to pick up the slack. ...Try not to get yourself in other life-threatening situations, okay?" he asked before disappearing. Alfred smiled before turning to the puddle.

"...Where do I go now? I know that there aren't any other people like me here...not yet anyways," he said. "They'll come. They know you exist now. To them, you hold many unexplored and unimagined lands and resources. They'll come. But, I suggest you leave this place. It holds nothing but death and dismay. If someone were to come, and found out what you were, I'm afraid that they may try to blame you for this. Besides, the ground has been scarred. No one will settle here, not while many of the spirits of those passed wander the earth in search of their homes," she said.

"...I guess you're right...I'm going to look through the houses. I'm going to see what's left. A lot of the houses away from the square haven't been burnt, so there may still be useful things or thigns I can use to remember them by better. Like the bracelet my mama left Mattie and me. I should visit Chowanoke and let her know we won't be needing her help anymore… and that I'm okay. I wouldn't want her to worry about me," he said, standing up while carefully avoiding standing on anyone's remains.

The puddle rippled. "My dear boy, I don't believe that is the wisest decision...or it won't be in the future. Sometimes, it is better to let those around you let you go. I fear that if you do tell her, Roanoke would find out and try to come after you. His chief was very insistant that there be no survivors. It is better this way. Try to put some distance between you and them for a bit of time. Find a new home, continue looking for your place in this world. I feel that your father will be coming very soon, so you need to be ready for that," said Earth.

Alfred perked up. "You think my dad is coming soon?" he asked. The earth hummed as affirming that. Alfred grinned and ran to his cabin, hopscotching through the remains. He came back holding his knife and ran up to a tree. "What are you doing child?" asked Earth. "I want to let my father know where I'm going to be. Can I carve in the tree?" he asked. Earth looked at him carefully before saying that he could. "C-R-O-A-T-O-A-N. There. Now he'll know I'll be in the islands that way. He'll send someone to look for me. It'll be a game. I'll leave him clues about where I'm going to be," he said.

Earth chuckled. "Well you certainly are a clever little thing. I'll stay by your side until the islands. Not that I can really stand the ash and dust right now. It keeps getting in my nose. Grab your things, child, so we can go," she said. Alfred nodded and started to leave before stopping. "I don't know...I can't just leave them here like this. They were my people. I can't leave them in the dust, not after how they took me in. Besides, I think some of the ghosts will be mad if I do," he said.

"I don't know child...that would leave behind proof that someone survived," said Earth. Alfred shook his head. "I'll use magic. It won't leave a trace and clean up the land but would also let them rest in peace. I don't have a way of marking their graves but...it's the only thing I can do to try to help them now that they're gone," he said. Earth sighed. "If you must boy, but that scale of magic could be dangerous. Do not overextend yourself," she said. Alfred nodded and kicked off his shoes before running into the middle of the town square.

Alfred dug his toes into the ground and lifted up his hands, channeling his abilities while focusing on having the ground open up to receive and separate the bones into individual grave pits. He started sweating and shaking but continued to do the best, hearing various voices breeze by his ears as they passed onto the next world. "Thank you," whispered the settlers, all gone when Alfred opened his eyes. He looked at his handiwork. He had not only buried the bones, but he had also swept away the ash and dust.

He let out a shakey sigh and slowly made his way to Adam and Sarah's old house, finding his little satchel of stuff laying underneath the bed. He picked them up and looked around their house for what little food was left over from Chowanoke's gift. Alfred looked through the other houses as well but wasn't able to find anything else. He simply walked over to the colony's edge and found a canoe, got into it, and paddled his way to Croatoan.

Funny things happened when Alfred moved to the Croatoan Islands. It first started as small things, strange noises, strange shadows. But, over the next day or two of burying everyone and leaving Roanoke, it escalated to things nearly hitting him in the head. One time, a knife had mysteriously fallen out of a tree and nicked his arm. Alfred had yelped and dodged a second knife that had flown at him from seemingly nowhere. "W-What's going on?" he yelped, throughly freaked out.

He heard someone snicker, chasing his bunny friends off. "C-Cinnabun don't leave me by myself," he hissed, jumping when he heard the snickering again. "W-Who's there? Roanoke? Chowanoke? Iroqois?" he asked, looking around. The snickering turned into a growl. "Don't recognize me boy?" said a familiar voice from his left. Alfred felt his blood drain and his soul practically left his body. "M-Mister McGregor?" he whimpered. "That's right boy. The others may have accepted what you are, but I don't. You're too knees and elbows with those savages. They took my boy and killed me. They're still keep ing us apart," said McGregor, voice coming from the right.

Alfred eeped and ran to hide behind a tree, a childish move he knew but this entire thing was freaking him out bad. There was laughter, seemingly coming from all sides. "You really think that will keep you away from me? You and me boy, we have some unfinished buisness. You are going to figure out a way to get my son and I reunited and quick. I have the rest of eternity to mess with you, and don't think I won't enjoy using that time to torment you," threatened McGregor.

"I-I don't know how to help you. H-He probably already passed on to whatever comes next...you need to let go in order to be with him. O-Or at least just leave me alone," muttered Alfred. He yelped as he was immediately pelted with rocks. "Run child, he's an angered spirit. He won't rest until he has hurt you," muttered Earth from the tree. Alfred swallowed and started running like crazy, covering his head as best as he could with his hands.

"YOU CAN'T RUN YOU DEMON! YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, I CAN AND WILL WALK THIS EARTH FOREVER IF IT'S TO GET TO YOU! I'LL KILL YOU LIKE YOUR OWN SIBLING DID. YOU CAN'T EVER STOP ME!" screamed McGregor. Alfred cried and tried to run to the little lean-to he had managed to make before. Rocks continued to pelt him from behind. Once he got to his makeshift shelter, thing seemed to calm down. After a minute or two, he poked his head out to find that McGregor had disappeared.

He sagged against a tree, relieved. The cuts, bumps, and bruises from the rocks had already begun to heal to his relief. He whimpered when he started to wonder how he was going to get rid of McGregor. "G-Grandma...is he going to follow me for the rest of my life?" he asked the tree. The tree didn't answer. He tried to fall asleep, tossing and turning badly once he finally manged to.

He woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of something tearing his lean-to apart. The bloodied face of Mr. McGregor appeared in the hole that was being formed. Alfred let out a terrified scream and tried to run away before a ghostly hand grabbed his ankle and dragged him back. "If I go boy, the way I see it is that you go too. You get to meet my son, apologize to his face for getting the two of us killed. Apologize to my wife for making her last moments less than content," he hissed.

Alfred let out another terrified scream, not enjoying the aura that was forming around the spirit. "We're going boy! I can hear them calling me!" shouted McGregor. "Grandma! Mama! M-Mattie! S-Somebody help!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear him and stop by. He wasn't sure what ability Mr. McGregor had to actually hurt him or do anything to him, but Alfred was terrifed of the angry ghost.

"No one is going to save you boy. No one would want to," chuckled McGregor, gaining a better grip on Alfred's ankle. "E-Etsi...ETSI! ETSI HELP! ETSI I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" he screeched, squeezing his eyes shut and wishing frantically to be anywhere but there. He heard a rustle, his own eyes shooting open. "Help!" he shouted. McGregor growled. "Another stupid sa-" The newcomer muttered a spell and a bright light appeared, forcing Alfred to squeeze his eyes shut again.

When he opened his eyes, McGregor was gone along with most of Alfred's lean-to, as if they had been sucked away. He sat up to find Aiyanna standing over him. "Child, I thought I taught you better than that. Don't you remember your lessons about how to chase away angered spirits of those who passed?" he asked. Alfred tearfully shook his head. "I-I couldn't remember anything. I-I got so scared," he whimpered. Aiyanna sighed and looked him over, nodding satisfactedly when she saw that he wasn't hurt anything too bad.

"Where's your brother? Do I have to worry about spirits chasing after him as well?" she spoke. Alfred shook his head. "M-Mattie's gone. He's been gone for a while. He said he didn't want me with him anymore. I think he's alright. I haven't felt anything bad from him in a while," he said. Aiyanna nodded. "Where's your people? Chowanoke was telling me your kind was here," he said. Alfred shook his head. "Dead...Most of them had starved off when I got there...Roanoke had the rest of them killed…" he trailed. Aiyanna nodded. "I'm guessing his people tried to kill you too?" she asked. He sighed and nodded.

Aiyanna sighed. "I'll talk to the boy. I'm sure he has a reason. He'd been told not to attack unless he had been provoked. Did you provoke him?" asked Aiyanna. "I-I didn't but one of my people wanted revenge for when one of his people killed his son. Roanoke's chief launched a full on attack on my people a-and killed them all," he said. Aiyanna frowned. "And the spirit I just got rid of, was he that man?" she asked. Alfred nodded hesitantly. "Yes...his name was Mr. McGregor. H-He was terrifying," he whimpered.

Aiyanna rolled her eyes. "Child, this was meant to toughen you up. Hopefully next time, you won't forget the spell to get rid of them. Though, helping them find peace requires a lot less energy. Are there any more ghosts I need to take care of for you?" she asked. Alfred frowned. "N-No…" he said. North American nodded. "Good. I need to go. I felt something start shifting on this coast. I don't think I'll be back for a good while. It seems...sinister almost," she muttered before leaving.

Alfred watched her go, sitting in the remains of what was left of his lean-to. "N-No more ghosts are going to come and hurt me, are there?" he whimpered. There wasn't any answer. Cinnabun and the other bunnies slowly came out of their hiding places and curled up next to him. "...Will you guys stay with me? You're kinda all I have," he whimpered to them. The rabbits twitched their nose and scooted in closer to him as a 'yes'. He smiled. "You guys are great," he said before curling up and falling asleep.

 **Sorry for the absence! Turns out taking four summer classes was a bit more than I could chew, but I'm back! And lazier than ever! Thanks to all the people who kept reading and reviewing during the hiatus, this one is for you guys. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have continued the story if I hadn't found that people were still into the story, so all reviews appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8: Stabbing Some Ankles

Ten years later, Alfred jerked awake when he felt something tingle down his back. He sat up, panting. Cinnabun II's tail twitched with annoyance as the sudden movement woke him up. "S-Sorry...I-I don't feel right. Something seems difference….like someone or something's coming," Alfred told the rabbit. The bunny twitched it's nose as if saying 'Cool, can I go back to sleep now?' Alfred sighed

He sat up, ignoring the bunnie's whines for sleep. Alfred looked around. Something was coming near him. "I don't know Swede. I feel like there's something or someone up around here. What if it's one of the twins?" said a person in a strange language. Alfred frowned. How can he understand their language? _Hmm...the man almost sounds like he speaks the language that Mama used to teach us the few times she visited…_ Alfred sat up and held a bunny, pulling it closely.

The footsteps got closer, Alfred frowning when he felt a presence of someone sharing the aura of his siblings and Aiyanna. He quickly hid behind a tree with a whimper when two blondes came into the clearing. The shorter one stopped. "Swede...someone's been here. The ground's still warm. And look, the footprints are tiny...It must be one of Vinland's children," he whispered. Alfred peeked, eyes widening when he spotted a chubby man with a terrifying giant next to him. "Finn," mumbled the giant. The chubby one looked up, wide-eyed when he spotted Alfred.

"...A-Alfred.." mumbled the man called Finn. Alfred yelped. "H-How do you know my name?" he whimpered. "Don't be afraid...We knew your mother. You're real mother," said Sweden, gently approaching the tree. Alfred blinked. "Are one of you my Father? What took you so long to get here? W-Why'd you let be alone for so long?" he asked, feeling his lip wobbled. The giant seemed to panic at that, looking at the smaller one for help. Finland looked just as thrown off as Sweden.

"H-Hey little one. N-No, we're not your Father...but we know him as well. Why don't you come with us? We can introduce you after...we tell you how we know your mother. I make cookies and candies. I'm sure there's some in my house if you want some," said Finland with a smile. "Stranger Danger!" shouted Alfred at the top of his lungs before running as far as he could. "Wait!" shouted Finland. "...Come back!" shouted Sweden. Alfred yelped and climbed a tree quickly, watching as Finland and Sweden ran past below.

Once he was sure they were gone, he floated down from the tree and went back to grab his things. "There he is," he heard someone whispered. Alfred grumbled to himself. He forgot to check for tracks before returning. "What do we do? If we jump out we'll scare him...you'll scare him," said Finland. Alfred grabbed his bag and immediately made a break for it before the two of them could react. "Wait! W-We're not strangers! Not really! We do know your father anad we did know Dagny!" shouted Finland.

Alfred panted as the two men chased after him. "G-Go away!" he shouted in what little he remembered in their language from some forgotten time. Sweden gasped. "A-Alfred!" he shouted. Alfred whimpered and climbed another tree, this time climbing from branch to branch of neighborig trees to get as far away as he can from the two older nations. The two older nations ran right past him. "You sure he went this way?" asked Sweden. "I-I don't know. The tracks stop at the trees but he wasn't up there when I climbed it," said FInland.

Alfred kept scampering away before he spotted a crevice in a tree just his size. He smiled to himself as he quickly curled up in the crevice, scooting over so the rabbits could curled up close to him. He heard the callings of his name slowly fade away. "...What do you think Cinnabun? Is he really a stranger? Did he really know Mama?" he asked. Cinnabun simply snorted and nuzzled him, Fuzzybutt hopping in as well. "...If those two are here, do you think that my Father is really here?" he asked.

Fuzzybutt nuzzled him with what seemed like a slight nod. Alfred hesitated. "What do I do? I really want to see my dad...Do you think Mattie is with him?...And if he wants to be brothers again? I just don't want him to hate me...What if Dad hates me?" asked Alfred. Cinnabun, Fuzzybutt, and Fluffybun wiggled their noses. "...Well I know parents aren't supposed to hate their kids but...Aiyanna was my kinda mom...and she kinda hated me. What if Father likes Mattie more because he knew Mattie longer?" he whimpered.

Cinnabun gently nibbled on Alfred's fingers, either to tell him to go to sleep or to calm down. "I guess you're right...I should sleep. I'm sure I'm going to love my Papa no matter what. We'll take care of each other and tell each other cool stories and he'll teach me how to help people like the settlers. Maybe Daddy will even know how to keep the ghosts away so I won't get scared. A-And Mattie and I will be brothers again and we can play together. Maybe I should have gone with those weird men…" he said before falling asleep.

"What do we do? We lost him! N-Now Norway will never find out he has nephews and the twins will never know who we are!" said Finland when they lost the track, panicking. Sweden was silent as he thought about this for a few moments. "...We should tell England we found a new country," he said. Finland blinked. "What do you mean? If England finds out, there's no chance we'll be able to explain to the twins what happned to their mother! We'd lose them forever," said Finland.

"We promised Dagny we would bring the twins to her father. Besides, Arthur has a right to know. We won't tell him we're related for now. If he found out, he'll think we'll claim him and it'll be a whole thing where he gets drunk, tells Francis, who tells Gilbert, who tells Mathais, who tells Lukas about Vinland having the twins. We keep it quiet, keep a good eye on the child, and help him as much as we can without scaring him off or making him suspicious. England and Frace should be by that river we found earlier," said Sweden.

Alfred hesitantly followed the two man, his interest perked when he heard them say his father's name. Maybe they really did know his dad. Alfred smirked to himself. These two were obviously newbies. They couldn't even hear him with the mocasins he had on. He easily trailed after the two, hiding in a bush when they neared a river. He peeked, spying a man with long wavy hair catch a fish with his hand. Alfred frowned. That man seemed to have carried some residue of Matthew's aura. Was that their father? He seemed tough and cool if he could catch a fish.

The man next to the long haired man smirked and splashed the first one, who squealed and said something quickly in an unfamiliar language. Alfred wrinkled his nose. He didn't think his Father would be someone who would squeal or freak out at a little bit of water. The long-haired caught another fish before the Giant and his chubby friend showed up. "England, England! Sweden and I found a little boy out in the woods. We think he may be one of us. There weren't any adults or settlements nearby for him to belong to," shouted Chubby in a language Alfred found it extremely hard to follow.

The wavy haired man dropped his fish and turned to the shorter man. "You seem out of breath. You two make a pit stop on your way to make us aware~" said the wavy-haired man with a smirk. Alfred was confused as to why the two other men's faces turned so red. "No! We have too many problems with Netherlands attacking us for that kind of thing...He chased us away from the area. We were just hoping you'd help us make sure that the kid is okay. You know how Netherlands can get. He'll shake down the kid for all he's got," said Tino.

The other man stood up so Alfred could finally get a good look at his face. The first thing that caught Alfred's eye was the man's bright green eyes. He's never seen eyes that color before. Of course, he quickly lost interest when he spotted the man's eyebrows. It looked like he had a squirrel glued to his face. The thought made Alfred giggle before he quickly caught himself. Luckily, no one had noticed it due to a sudden breeze. Squirrel face looked around as if he had heard something but shook it off.

"And why are you telling us any of this? How do we know it's not your way of distracting us so you can try to swoop down and take the new nation yourself? Turn it into your own little colony? That little Vinland Lukas seems to dream of having," asked Squirrely with one of his eyebrows raised. Sweden put a hand on Finland's shoulder, keeping the shorter one from trying to tear out Bush-brow's catepillars from his face. "Well...maybe the kid will decide to be my baby brother!" shouted Finland, wanting to mess with the other two a little bit.

"Hmm, I think they will be my little brother. After all, I already got the older one under my belt. Mathieu speaks of having a friend from this land from when he was younger. Perhaps I will add the newest nation to my collection," said Francis. "Bollocks you will! That's my bloody little brother. Children love big families and mine is one of the biggest. He'll have plenty of new friends to play with. That, and I don't have to worry about anyone trying to mess with me. They know the sun never sets on the British empire," smirked Bush-Brows.

"I don't know. You'll have to find the child first. He runs off whenever any of us two try to approach him. I don't think he likes Europeans very much. He looks as if he has spent time with the natives...but he looks like he could be European," said Finland. England and Francis exchanged a glance. "Whoever gets him first gets to make him his little brother!" shouted Francis before taking off. "You cheese eating monkey! Get your arse back here!" hissed England.

The two of them fought, making Alfred flinch and curl up even more in the bushes. "England, France, calm down you two. Or we'll take the boy," said Sweden. Both of the men shuddered and stood straight. "I wouldn't wish that on any child," muttered France quietly. "Aye. I can't see him being the brotherly type," muttered back England. Alfred blinked. "England?...Father?" he whispered under his breath. Or was he his big brother now? Was that how the family tree thing worked in his father's land? This was too confusing.

He watched as the four men left. Hmm..if they were playing in the river and if the Giant and Chubby one were able to find them so easily...it only made sense that they lived somewhere nearby. Alfred smirked. Maybe he could go and explore one of his father's settlements before he decided whether or not it was really his father. Besides...he wanted to make sure that this settlement, Jamestown, wasn't anything like Roanaoke. He didn't think he could survive that much pain and heartbreak again. He just hoped that not all settlements came with ghosts.

He waited until he was sure they were away to sneak down to the settlment, looking around. He was amazed by how many people there was, and the fact that they all looked like him. Some of them even had blue eyes like him! The downside was that they all spoke that funny language. A couple of ladies looked at him curiously before muttering something strange to each other. Alfred gave them a smile, glad he had chosen that day to wear the night gown Sarah had gave him.

One lady stopped him and asked him something to which he just simply nodded. The lady smiled happily and held up a finger before going into her house. She came back with some sort of cookie and handed it to him. Alfred happily took it before waving at her and walking away. He's never seen a camp so sophisticated as this one before. There were strange rock roads and a great wall. They had fields of food they were attempting to grow and tall buildings. He couldn't help but look at everything.

Alfred did so until he realized people were staring at him. His people. These were his first real settlers. Of course he counted Sarah and the others but...these ones were going to make it. He could feel it. He was going to do whatever he could to help them survive and he was sure that now, with his father on the same land as him, that he would have the help he needed to really make something of himself. He and his father will build great buildings and explore the land and talk to people and have fun. It was going to be great!  
Alfred quickly got out of the settlement and instead to the forest surrounding the small town. He climbed a tree so he could watch the people work and interact with one another. He was learning so much about himself. Maybe his father explained why he always enjoyed having alot of people around. He wondered if all of his father's towns had this many people in them. If so, how did he stand it? And why was he fighting that man that smelled faintly of stinky cheese and flowers?

But that France guy was what interested him the most. He said he knew a Mathieu...a Matthew. It had to be his brother. What did France mean 'add him to his collection'? Was Matthew okay? Alfred frowned, clenching his fists. Kanata may have been a royal poopy-face but it was still his big brother. He wasn't going to let any tall nation just push his blood around. If he had hurt his brother, Alfred would be happy to stab some ankles if it was what it took to defend his family.

 **No need to stab me in the ankles! I actually uploaded on time! Have a great Labor Day weekend and leave reviews! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9: Homecoming

He watched the settlement for the next few days from a nice little camp he made himself in the trees. One day, when he was trying to hide in the bushes to continue watching the people, he heard soft footsteps behind him. "Hello there…" said a soft voice. Alfred was learning that apparently there was a language that all the nations had in common in order to easily speak to one another. Alfred turned around, doing his best to hide his excitement. Here was his father. Finally! After all this time they can finally meet face to face. The only thing Alfred had to worry about now was keeping his face straight while staring at those huge eyebrows. They practically took up half his face. Alfred somehow managed to keep a straight face, watching his father curiously.

England blinked. "You're not startled or running away?" he said, as if in shock. Alfred tilted his head. "I wouldn't run away. I'm learning a lot about myself lately," he said in their strange language. England blinked. "Oh well...That's a good thing to here. It's rare to hear such a young person so enlightened. But I get the feeling you're not all that young. At least, not as young as the other children who look your age in the settlement. Am I right?" he asked softly, as if scared he'll run away.

Alfred hesitated before slowly nodding. This was his father. He could trust him. "...I'm really old. I don't know how old though because I can't count very high...but it's a lot," he said. England blinked before getting down on one knee. "Tell me lad...Do you represent a land mass of any kind?" he asked. Alfred nodded hesitantly. "Yeah...This one. My name is America...At least, America feels right," he said. England held out a hand, smiling softly. "My name is England. But my human name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Do you have a human name?" he asked.

"Alfred. Alfred F. Jones. Some of the settlers at Roanoke gave me the names!" he said happily. Arthur blinked and stared at the child. "R-Roanoke?" he stammered with disbelief. Alfred nodded. "Yeah! Is your land really far away?" he asked, wondering if his father even knew who he was. Arthur nodded with a shakey smile. "Aye lad...I-I'm sorry to hear about Roanoke. Do you know what happened?" he asked. Alfred's face fell and he shook his head. "No…" he lied.

England frowned when he heard someone call for him in the distance. "I have to go now child, but I'll be back to visit you soon. I assume this is your camp, correct? Well if so, if you need any help don't hesitated to come to the settlement. I'll be happy to assist you as much as I possibly can. Just avoid the other nations you may come across that are from across the sea. They aren't as kind as me and I fear they may try to take you away. Perhaps one of these days you can even come and visit me in my home here," he said with a smile.

Alfred hesitated before nodding. Just as England turned to go, Alfred tugged on his jacket. "A-Are there a lot of others like me? Are any of them my age?" he asked. England smiled softly. "Yes...there are a lot of other nations. As for any around your age well...that remains to be seen. I have yet to do a lot of exploring of this side of the world. To be quite honest, many of us did not even realize that this continent existed. We just thought that there would be more water," said Arthur.

Alfred's face fell. "W-Will I get to see you again? You're not leaving forever, are you?" asked Alfred. Arthur swallowed and looked at the child, feeling as if the child knew more about what happened at Roanoke than he let on. "I'll come back for you child. I won't let a wee thing like you stay out on your own for very long, older than you look or not. And like I said, if you need me for any reason I'll just be in that settlement. I live in the house at the very edge of the town, closest to the sea. If you ever need anthing, just tell anyone you see in town that you're looking for me...the humans that is. They'll point you in the right direction," he said.

Alfred nodded and watched as his father easily walked away from him. He sat down and quietly gazed at the settlement, wondering what it was that his father needed to go do so quickly. He also wondered about his brother, where Mattie was and if he was happy. If England was telling the truth about not knowing of any other colonies his age, what happened to Matthew? Was he okay? Cinnabun and Fluffybutt came over and nibbled at his hand. He smiled. "You're right guys. I shold go get something to eat. Maybe we'll find something you guys can eat too," he said.

Alfred didn't see his supposed father for days after that. _Maybe he doesn't want me…._ He hesitantly approached a tree. "Er, um...Grandma? Can I ask you a question...about my dad? I just, I um don't have anyone else to ask. Aiyanna doesn't know anything about him and my mama doesn't talk to me very often now that Mattie and I are big," he said softly. A kind face appeared in the tree. "What is it that you would like to know my dear? I'll be as helpful as I can," she said nicely. "Is Mr. England my father?" he asked softly.

"Yes child, he's your father. He doesn't know it though, my dear. I believe your mother is working on a way to tell him from beyond the grave. She wants me to let you know to not ruin the surprise. Besides, I'm sure that he may guess it. You should make a game out of how long it takes him to catch on," she winked playfully. Alfred giggled. "That does sound fun. Does he know that Mattie is his son?" he asked. Earth shook her head. "No my dear, he hasn't met Matthew yet. Your brother lives with that other man, France," she said.

Alfred's face fell. "You mean…even if my father takes me in, I still won't be reunited with Matthew?" he asked softly. Earth sighed, wishing she had hands so she could comfort the child...and smooth down that stubborn cowlick. "I'm sorry my dear but...your brother is fine with France. In fact, he loves France as if it was his own father. I don't believe he'll be joinging the little family you're hoping for for a while yet," she said gently. Alfred sniffed, trying to pull the tears running down his face back into his eyes.

"H-He abandoned me again...He left me and our dad. He replaced us a-and forgot about us," he sniffled. Earth sighed, not sure how to answer that in a way a child could easily understand. The bunnies, on the other hand, knew how to comfort him. They hopped over to him and curled up around his feet, nuzzling him. Alfred sat down and gently pet them. "Well...At least I'll always have you guys around. A-And don't worry. I won't ever try to trap you or capture you or anything like that. You guys have always been there for me," he said stubbornly.

Bon Bon, Cinnabun, and Fluffybutt seemed to be just happy with that proposal, lending enough warmth to his small body that he eventually feel asleep, nuzzling the soft pile. Alfred slept that way for an hour before he heard footsteps and someone laugh lightly. "Oh look at that. He reminds me so much of mon lapin, even the hair bears a bit of resemblance. Hmm, perhaps I should just return later. It would be a shame to wake him up when he's looking so cute. He looks just like Mathieu. Perhaps Mathieu would like to have a little brother?" someone said to themselves.

Alfred woke up at that. What if this man did adopt him? He could go to Matthew and convince him to come back! He could tell them all about their father and show his brother how to find him! Maybe it wasn't too late to save their family afterall! _And Matthew and I could have a cool adventure coming back home! One that will convince our father how amazing the two of us are! A-And I can prove to Matthew that I could be a good brother! Maybe I could even find a way to be a hero for other settlers who need help!_

Alfred sat up and walked over to the strange man, France. "Oh there you are little one! I was hoping I could become your Big Brother. Look! I even brought you some of my finest food! Isn't that nice? You look like you could use something to eat. Why don't you just sit down and help yourself? There's plenty of food for the both of us. Then perhaps we can talk about your settlements and resources and oooh. I have a colony at home that is just your age. Perhaps you would like a playmate!" said France happily, ignoring England as he walked up behind the Frenchman.

England's face fell. "Francis! That's cheating. He's my family, my future little brother. You can't just waltz in here and take him away you frog!" said England. "It's not cheating. I'm just using my assests. I'd suggest that you use yours...if you had any," said France snarkily. The two of them started arguing, loudly. Alfred flinched when it started getting physical as they started hitting each other. Alfred set the plate down and tried to scoot over to the ring of bunnies waiting in the nearby bushes.

France noticed first and quickly shoved England away. He retrieved the plate and walked over to Alfred. "Wait a minute mon ami. You didn't finish your meal. Didn't you like Big Brother's cooking?" he asked, pouting a little at the child. Alfred hesitated before reaching for the food. He was hungry and, he wasn't going to lie. The food was delicious. The minute the fork reached his mouth, he felt a dark, cold shadow fall over him. Alfred shuddered and looked up.

His father was standing over him, rubbing his hands together. "No, no my dear boy. Come with me. You need to be with your true family. That food is garbage. Come with me. Come with meeee," hissed his father. Alfred dropped his plate and started to cry, terrified by his father's display. "Arthur, look what you did. You made the boy start crying. Come here little one. Just for that, you can have the little piece of chocolate I've been saving. Don't worry, I won't let that scary eyebrowed monster take you away," said Francis, cooing softly at the scared boy.

Alfred happily started snaking on a piece of cake sitting on the plate he was handed before glancing toward his father. He blinked when he saw that England had sat down in a crumpled heap, hugging his knees as he started crying. _What was I thinking? My father wouldn't want me to go….I'll just have to convince him to let me visit Matthew…_ He felt horrible for making his father cry. Hesitantly, Alfred wandered over to Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Both France and England seemed to look startled.

Arthur sniffed, rubbing his eyes. Francis looked alarmed. "B-But...mon food…" he mumbled. England looked up. "Y-You're worried about me?" he asked softly, as if he couldn't believe the concept. Alfred nodded, little hand still on his shoulder. Arthur unfolded as he turned to look at Alfred. "...Would you like to join my family? You shouldn't be out here by yourself, alone and unprotected," he said. Alfred smiled and nodded without hesitation, inwardly squealing at being so easily accepted by his father.

Arthur smiled. "What's your name? My personification name is Britain, England, or the United Kingdom, but my human name is Arthur Kirkland," he said softly, ignoring France's fake crying in the background as an attempt to guilt Alfred into coming over to him. Alfred smiled. "My name is Alfred! Alfred F. Jones! And the one who raised me used to call me Dyami but you can call me….America! Yeah, that sounds right. I'm America!" said Alfred, beaming up at his father. Arthur smiled back and hugged Alfred.

"It's good to meet you Alfred. Very good to meet you," he said before giving France a look of 'I told you so.' Alfred grinned. "It's great to meet you. I've been on my own for so long…" he trailed, looking down sadly. Arthur blinked and stood up, glancing at a France who had sobered up at those words. Arthur held out a hand. "Let's go home America," he said softly. Alfred looked up, staring at the hand in disbelief at the word 'home'. "Really?! Like...Permanently?" he asked, excited.

Something like sadness or pity flashed in Arthur's eyes before his face softened. "Of course lad. You're my flesh and blood now. It's only proper for me to treat you as such. Now, do you have any things you would like to bring you before I take you into the settlement?" he asked. Alfred nodded and dropped the hand before running to grab his little satchel from the cavity of a tree. Both France and Alfred watched as he did so, before whispering to something in the tree. "What do you have there mon ami?" asked France, curiously.

Alfred stood in front of the tree protectively. "Nothing! I was just talking to a frog!" he said quickly, wanting to protect his bunny friends from any potential hunters. "You're currently talking to a frog is what you mean," said Arthur snidely, smirking at France. Francis threw his hands up. "Fine. I accept defeat. I suppose I will find Mathieu a little friend else where. Besides, I'm sure Alfred will be begging for me to take him in by tomorrow. I just hope for his sake that he has a high tolerance for poison with the way you cook," said Francis before storming off.

"Poison?" asked Alfred curiously. Arthur forced a smile. "Don't worry about him. We've known each other for a long time. We like to fight to pass the time. It's hardly ever serious. He'll be over it by the end of the week. Now...is that all you have with you? Or is ther somewhere we should go to get the rest of it?" asked Arthur, glancing at the small leather bag of things Alfred had in his arms. "Nope! This is all of it. I always travel light because I travel a lot and taking too many things gets too hard to carry," said Alfred.

Arthur nodded and took Alfred's hand gently. "Well lad, my home is not much but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You can even have your own room since it's just me. And I'll let all the settlers know that you're my family so they won't pester you with questions. Do you know any English?" he asked. Alfred frowned. It was a while since he used English, having prefered not to after what had happened. Arthur sighed. "Well don't worry lad, I'll be happy to teach you. We'll just tell everyone that you're quite shy," he said.

Alfred nodded and happily held Arthur's hand as they started to head into the settlement. As they walked, several settlers stopped what they were doing to watch the two of them come by. Alfred smiled at them and waved at a couple of them. Arthur looked a bit thrown off but smile. "Mr. Kirkland sir, where did the boy come from. Oh my, he looks just like you. I didn't know you had a missus," said an older lady, leaning down to pinch Alfred's cheeks. Alfred gave Arthur a bewildered look, wondering why he was being attacked by an old lady.

"I-I erm, don't. He's a relative, just got off the boat. The two of us must be going now. I have to get him settled in and meet with John to let him know what resources just arrived," said Arthur, lying a little as he took a step to block the lady from pinching Alfred. "Well if you ever need a baby sitter, just let me know. I'd be happy to look after the boy while you're at work," she chuckled. Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur chuckled and thanked her before leading Alfred away.

"Are you really going to let her sit on me?" squeaked Alfred. Arthur blinked in surprise before laughing. "No my boy, that's not what that term means. I'm surprised though. You understand English?" he asked. Alfred wiggled his hand. "More or less...I can understand it pretty well to some degree. I used to speak it in Roanoke. I just don't think I'll be able to speak it very well. It's been a really long time," said Alfred. Arthur nodded. "A decade at least. I suppose a ten years is still a long time for a boy your age," he said. Alfred nodded even though he had no idea what that meant.

Arthur smiled and lead Alfred to the cabin. Alfred looked around, eyes wide at the house that was so much bigger than Adam and Sarah's house. "T-This is all yours? This is amazing!" he said, looking around. Arthur nodded. "Yes, yes it is. But it's not just mine," he said. "So you have a wife?" asked Alfred, not sure how he liked that. It was his Mama that was supposed to be with England, not some random lady. "No no, nothing like that. Personifications don't really get the chance to take on partners, it's one of the few drawbacks to everything," he said. "Drawbacks?" asked Alfred softy. Arthur sighed. "Well...we get many benefits but...we do get very lonely over time. You get tired of dealing with the same people millenia after millenia," he said.

Alfred blinked. "So….who else lives here? Is it other personifications my age?" he asked, a part of him secretly hoping that Matthew was hidden in a closet or under a bed somewhere. Arthur smirked. "You're going to keep guessing unless I tell you, aren't you lad?" he asked. "Yep! What's a lad?" asked Alfred, tilting his head. "A young boy such as yourself. Now, the only other person I share this house with is you, starting now," said Arthur, smiling at the younger personification.

Alfred blinked before looking up at Arthur. "R-Really?" he asked, happyily. Arthur nodded. "Yes my dear. And your room will be right down the hall from mine. If you ever need anything, it is perfectly fine for you to come and find me. If you need to wake me, you need not fear about how late or early it is. I'll do my best to provide for the two of us but, not to brag, I am quite certain that it would be no problem at all for me to do so. I'm sure I have some old shirts somewhere around here you could borrow. If not, I can run to the neighbors and see if they have any clothes we can borrow before sewing you some clothes of your very own," said Alfred.

Alfred nodded, starting to get slightly overwhelmed. This man...was his father. HIS father. The one guy he had been trying to find all his life. The one his brother abandoned him for. He suddenly frowned, wondering if this is a dream. Maybe he had some bad berries or something. Alfred stopped following Arthur and pinched his arm hard, jumping when it hurt. "...What in the world are you doing child?" asked Arthur, having paused to see if something was wrong. Alfred looked up, blushing slightly. "Am I dreaming?" he asked softly.

Arthur blinked before blushing slightly and walking over to the boy. He knelt down. "How about this, lad? Why don't you pinch me? I promise I'm real," he said. Alfred hesitated. Arthur smiled softly. "Don't worry about hurting me child. I'm a strong country. I've faced many of great warriors," he said. Alfred nodded before pinching England's arm. England yelped before grinning. "See? I'm real. I know how it feels dearest. It's always very disconcerting to find another nation, especially one so much older than you. But don't worry, I'll do my best to guide you and raise you," he said.

Alfred's face turned pink and he gently reached out for England's hand, making the older nation blush as well. "Well then…let's go see your room. And feel free to go ahead and decorate it however you wish. As I said before, this is your home as well. I want you to feel comfortable. If you need anything that could help you transition better to this kind of living, don't hesitate to ask. There will be a few rules in place, but I'm sure we can worry about that later. They won't be too strict. I just want you to feel safe and happy here," said Arthur.

America glanced up at Arthur and smiled shyly. "I already do. Are we close to seeing my room? This weird hill is hard," said Alfred as he tried to climb up the stairs. England blinked before bending over and picking up the boy, carrying him up the rest of the stairs. Alfred blinked but relaxed. If having a father meant being carried around all the time, he was totally for it. The only thing that could make it perfect would be if his mama was alive and Matthew wasn't such a jerk.

Arthur opened a door and smiled, showing Alfred inside. "There you go boy. There should be a chamberpot under the bed, a washing bowl and pitcher on the vanity, and extra blankets in the closet. Feel free to explore while I try to find some extra clothes you may be able to use," said Arthur before ducking out of the room. Alfred blinked and looked around. He has never seen a room so big for just one person. And the bed was humongous! How was he even going to be able to climb into it every night?

Alfred took this time to climb over to the vanity thing, at least it was the table with the shiny part holding the bowl and pitcher. He climbed up onto the chair, took off his satchel, and placed it on the table space. He then pulled out a dream catcher and hung it on the corner of the table before taking out a single eagle feather and placing it on the counter. When he was done arranging the few possessions he had, he put his hands on his hips and looked at them proudly. Won't his father be happy to see how pretty his things were?

Arthur came in and blinked. "..Where did all these feathers come from? Did a bird get in here somehow?" he asked, holding a small bundle of clothes. Alfred looked up cheerfully. "These are my things!" he said happily, holding up the bracelet his mother had left behind for him. Arthur blinked, deciding that he didn't want to scare the kid off. "Well dear, I found these clothes for you. I know it isn't much and they may be a bit big, but I will do my best to find some time this week to tailor them," he said.

Alfred walked over and took the bundle he was handed before smiling. "Thank you!" he said politely. England smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see you have good manners. Now, are you hungry? I'm certain that Frenchman's food left an undesireable taste in your mouth. I can make you some delicacies from my home. Perhaps you could try some tea even. I believe I brought a couple of packets with me. I'm sure you'll like it. It's one of the many things my home is known for," he said.

Alfred hesitated before a yawn interrupted his train of thought. Arthur blinked. "Pardon me, I am so sorry. It never occured to me that you may be tired. How about this? I'll make us a nice stew. In fact, I'm certain I already have one on the fire. After that, we can get you to bed. Do you like being told stories before bed or do you prefer sleeping on your own?" asked Arthur. Alfred looked confused. Told stories before bed? What did that mean? Sarah and Adam just kinda let him do his own thing and Aiyanna never really remembered he and his brother were around.

"I think I can sleep on my own...But I am hungry!" he said a bit eagerly. Arthur chuckled. "Alright boy. Let's go get you some food. Come down when you're done putting all of your things in order. I'll have the soup done by then," said Arthur, turning to go downstairs. Alfred beamed. His dad seemed pretty cool. When his father had left, he turned to fix the dream catcher before putting on one of the oversized shirts and going downstairs. "Thank you for the food Mr. England," he said.

"You don't need to thank me. And feel free to call me England. No need for Mister. Just remember to not call me by that name in front of humans, alright?" said Arthur, tending to the stew. He was quite nervous about it due to wanting to make a good first impression on his newest charge. Alfred nodded and climbed up onto a chair. Arthur turned around before chuckling. "I see I have a bit of adjusting to that shirt to be done," he said. Alfred lifted up his hand, which was burried in the sleeves.

"I think it fits. See? My hands aren't sticking out really weird," said Alfred, wanting to be polite just in case this is what they wore in his father's place. England tried to keep a straight face but started chuckling. "You won't hurt my feelings if you admit it's a bit big. I'm certain it'd make a good sleeping shirt just as well. At least until I finally get around to making it an appropriate size for you," said Arthur. Alfred blushed brightly. "Oh..Okay. I wasn't sure. I thought that maybe you wore your shirts like this in your house," he said shyly.

Arthur managed to restrain himself from smirking at the child's expense. "No Alfred, it isn't. But I appreciate you trying to respect the way I do things and my culture," he said. Alfred smiled slightly before looking confused as to what to do with the sleeves. "Here, let me help," said Arthur before crossing the room to help roll up the sleeves. When his fingers were freed from the cloth constraints of the shirt, Alfred gave his father a wide grin. "Thank you! Now I can eat!" he said.

Arthur chuckled. "You're very welcome. Let me go ahead and get the stew. I'm sure you're quite starving," he said before turning to portion the stew into two bowls. He placed one in front of Alfred. "Let me know what you think. I hope you like it. It's been cooking all day, so it should hopefully have a lot of flavor," said Arthur, albeit a bit nervously. Alfred nodded and started digging into the stew, pausing as he did so. Arthur froze, already coming up with excuses for how Francis must have poisoned it.

Alfred smiled. It was the nicest thing he's had to eat since he'd returned to wandering the country side. "I like it a lot! It kinda reminds me of Sarah's stew!" he said, happily returning back to his food for another bite. Arthur blinked in surprise when he realized that his food had been approved. There might have even been a tear of joy glistening beneath his giant brows. "You like it?!" he asked incredeously. Alfred nodded, looking a bit confused. "Yes...Should I not? Is this a test?" he asked.

Arthur grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. "You get extra dessert tonight. No, it's not a test," he said. Alfred didn't understand what was going on but just returned to his food. That's when Arthur frowned in realization. "Who's Sarah, Alfred?" he asked the small boy. Alfred's face fell slightly. "No one...just someone who made really good stew. I don't want to talk about it," said Alfred, shoveling a spoon into his mouth before Arthur could ask another question. It wasn't as though Arthur could tell though, Alfred was eating as if he was afraid where his next meal was going to come from. This wasn't far from the truth.

Arthur sat down across from Alfred, unsure of what to ask. He decided not to. The child hadn't even spent a single night at his house yet, although Arthur did desperately want to know what exactly happened to Roanoke. It was his pet project, one that he had to beg the royals to allow. He wasn't quite sure why he was so enthusiastic about the project, asides from it being one of his first in the new world. All he knew is that he was absolutely devastated when he had arrived from the supply run to find nothing but ash and old graves. Not a single living being to be found. The animals even abandoned it and it had the strangest aura.

"Well if you don't want to talk about it, I'm hardly going to pry. Though, some may find that talking about what troubles them will help them feel better in the end, but that's only me. I understand that I'm still quite a stranger to you at the moment, but I do want to, once again, emphasize that I'm here for anything you need or want help with. We're family now. It's what families are supposed to do," said Arthur as he sat down and took a sip of his soup. Alfred hesitated but nodded. "Thank you!" he said before returning to his meal.

Arthur sighed. This child was either strongly against talking about Roanoke or couldn't take a hint to save his life. He sighed. If the lad saw what made those ashes...and if he was linked to the coloney...there's no telling what kind of hell he went through or saw. It was better to let the child decide to approach him. "So, what's your favorite fruit lad?" asked Arthur, wanting to get to know the new personification a bit better. Alfred thought about it. "I like blueberries...any berries honestly," he said.

Arthur smiled. "I prefer raspberries myself. What's your favorite animal?" he asked. Alfred smiled shyly. "I like bunnies...They're really nice. They stay by me when I'm all by myself. You don't hunt rabbits do you?" he asked. Arthur made a mental note not to serve Alfred any rabbit meat and to tell the villagers not to set traps for the rabbits in front of the boy. "Don't worry dear. I don't. Want to know a secret? I actually have a bunny friend. He's mint green and flies," said Arthur.

Alfred looked a bit confused. "What?" he asked. Arthur simply laughed. "I know it sounds ridiculous but trust me its true. He's back in my home. He can't venture very far from my home. Especially since he's a bit afraid of running water. Quite shy that one," said Arthur. Alfred simply accepted it. Maybe it was a weird British animal. "I'd like to meet him. Maybe my bunnies can meet him too?" asked Alfred. Arthur chuckled but said it would happen.

 **Yep, I'm still alive. Writing a story based on history is a bit tedious. Reviews welcome!**


	10. Chapter 10 Panic! At The Cabin

When Alfred had finished his meal, Arthur happily gave him some scones and a glass of milk before turning to do dishes. Alfred grinned. "I like these rock things. They're really nice! Did you make them?" he asked. Arthur's eyebrow twitched before turning around. "They're not rocks lad, they're scones. And yes, I made them myself. Do you really like them?" he asked, trying not to sound irritated. Alfred nodded happily. "They're really good. I don't get to eat a lot of sweet things. I haven't had a...treat? Is that the word? I haven't had one since a long time ago," said Alfred.

Arthur frowned. "I see...Who took care of you growing up? Before the coloney?" asked Arthur. "I was on my own since I looked like a four year old human child...I think. Before, I was taken cared of by a woman that my mother had warch over me before she died…" said Alfred. That tugged on Arthur's heartstrings. He knew how it felt to lose a mother so young. "Was she a kind woman? Your adopted mother?" asked Arthur, not entirely sure why he asked but finding that he had to know.

Alfred looked a bit perplexed by the question. "Well..I don't know. I know she was kinda forced by my mama to take me in. She didn't seem to really like us and only did what she could to keep me alive," said Alfred. Arthur blinked. Who wouldn't want to take in such a sweet boy? "If you don't mind me asking...why didn't she like you and your mother?" he asked. Alfred blinked. Arthur must have thought 'us' was him and his mom, not his brother. Not that he had reason to think otherwise.

"Well...Etsi..er, Aiyanna. She was the one who killed my mom...or at least that's the story," said Alfred. Arthur's jaw dropped. "W-What?" he asked. Alfred simply shrugged before jumping down from his chair and taking the plate that once held scones over to Arthur. "Y-You were raised by your mother's murderer? What about her family? Do you have any other family?" asked Arthur. "I had a brother once...and my mama said I used to have uncles...but I've never met them. They sound nice though," he said.

"...What was your mother's name?" asked Arthur, looking at the child softly. "Vinland...I think that was her country name...I don't really remember. It happened a long time ago and I never really got to meet her," said Alfred. Arthur looke confused but didn't want to pry further. He already felt he had a good sense of the child's life. It reminded him of how sad and bleak his own childhood was...to a certain degree. At least he had his brothers to keep things lively and keep him somewhat...tolerable company. Not that Arthur would ever say that or admit it.

Alfred let out a little yawn. "But I got you now...and I'm sure everything's going to be nice with you around. I don't got to be alone anymore," he said softly. Arthur's heart twisted enough that he couldn't find it in him to correct Alfred's grammar. Arthur immediately scooped up Alfred and gave him a soft squeeze. "I think someone's sleepy. How about we get you to bed and you can get a proper night's sleep, hmm?" he asked. Alfred nodded lethargically before laying his head on his father's shoulder.

By the time Arthur had reached Alfred's bedroom, the child had fallen asleep against him. Arthur smiled and put him to bed, running a hesitant hand through his hair. "I've no idea why you seem to warm up to me so quickly or trust me so much...but I appreciate it. Perhaps you'll be the first person I could truly be close to...Many of my relations with other nations have been tarnished by wars...but I'll make certain that I'll make a fresh start out of you. I'll be a better man," he said softly.

When he was done tucking Alfred into bed, Arthur got up and went to his own room, falling asleep rather quickly after he made a list of all the things he had to do to prepare the house for Alfred. He had never had colonies so far away from his home, so he had to find a way to provide for the boy with the meager supplies and resources he currently had at his disposal. The poor boy seemed amazed with everything, his eyes seemingly gobbling up anything he saw. The two little feathers had broke Arthur's heart.

Alfred woke up gasping in the morning, freaking out. W-What was going on? Something felt severely wrong. Then remmenants of the nightmare he woke up from came back. Alfred shuddered, realizing why he woke up. He had to remind himself that Mr. McGregor was dead and gone. Etsi had...stuffed him in another dimension or something. _But what if he didn't stay there? What if he came back when he realized I was with his people again? What if he's coming for me?!_

Alfred whimpered. Should he go tell Arthur? Arthur had said he would help him with anything...and Alfred wanted to believe that but...he was America! He can do this on his own! He's been on his own for so long and the nightmares weren't anything new. It's just been a couple of years since he's had them. Alfred whimpered, not wanting to seem to needy so soon to Arthur. Etsi would have kicked him out and left him outside to fend for the night if he whined too much about nightmares.

Alfred heard something creak somewhere in the house. He whimpered. What if it was a monster?! Alfred whimpered and pulled the blanket over his head, doing his best to not whimper again. He did his best to make it look like he was sleeping. Under the covers, he rubbed his hands together, wondering if this was a safe place to do magic. After Mr. McGregor, Alfred wasn't sure if he could trust the English settlers as much as he did before. Now that he's seen what 'his' people are like, or essentially what people in general were like, he wasn't sure if he should be so open with them.

Arthur walked into the room and smiled when he saw the coloney seemingly sleeping peacefully. He thought he heard whimpering when he decided to go visit the outhouse. Perhaps it was a stray dog or something of the sort wandering outside his window. Arthur noticed that the sheets looked a bit rumpled and were nearly half off of the bed. "Well lad, it looks like I just imagined the whimpering. But let's get you covered. You'll get a cold without properly being tucked in," said Arthur with a slight smile, re-tucking in the smaller personification.

Alfred immediately relaxed, not opening his eyes. So it was just Arthur...and Arthur was being nice. He came to check on him and make sure he was safe. That was nice...His father was nice. Alfred smiled to himself. Maybe he could get used to all of this. And if his father was this nice...he'll keep the bad people and the ghosts away. England will be the hero he needed to make things the way they should be.

A gentle hand started wandering through his hair, slowly massaging his scalp. Without thinking, Alfred leaned into the touch and started to drift off. He was asleep by the time Arthur had kissed his forehead goodnight and went back to his own room. Alfred cuddled an extra pillow that Arthur had allowed him and had nicer, sweeter dreams about the life he would have had if his family had been given the chance to stay together.

Alfred woke up to the smell of something sweet baking somewhere downstairs. Alfred blinked and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He could vaguely remember someone petting his hair after he had woke up from a nightmare. Alfred jumped down from the bed, still wearing the oversized shirt, and wandered his way down to the kitchen where he had found Francis and Arthur fighting with each other. Alfred's eyes widened as the two of them threw towels at each other.

"I don't care what you say. You must have poisoned the poor child if he thinks your food is good. What dark magic have you used on him you eyebrow wizard?! No one could possibly steal a child, an impressionable coloney like that, from me after they taste my food. My food attracts everyone to me like honey to flies," said Francis, mixing something in a bowl that he was desperately trying to keep out of Arthur's reach. Arthur, on the other hand, was trying to grab the bowl so he could throw it out.

"I didn't use magic! The boy just happened to choose me because he prefered a guardian who didn't smell like cheese and practiced proper hygene!" shouted Arthur, throwing a scone at France. France ducked and looked at Arthur, horrified. "Do not let even the tiniest crumb of your cooking touch my food. I'm certain that it would either poison it or cause an explosion," said Francis, making Arthur get angry enough that he through more scones. Alfred watched, not sure how to take this.

"My food will do no such thing. Now pipe down and get out of my house before Alfred wakes up. No one wants to wake up and see you first thing in the morning," growled Arthur, making a last attempt at snatching back the bowl. Alfred shuffled his feet. "I-I'm already awake….Is everything okay? I didn't know what I'm supposed to do...or if I'm supposed to do something," said Alfred. Arthur and Francis both froze, Francis taking the opportunity to quickly pour the batter into molds and get them ready to bake.

"Bastard…" grumbled Arthur under his breath before turning to Alfred. "Oh, I'm so sorry Alfred. Did we wake you? I was just trying to get this intruder out of our kitchen," he said, giving Francis a sideways glare. "Moi? I was simply doing my best to make sure the boy felt welcomed. I know you aren't one so much for baking, so I thought I'd reach out a friendly hand and simply assist you in the kitchen. The child seemed to enjoy the food I made him earlier, I thought he'd enjoy a bit more," said Francis innocently.

Alfred grinned at Francis. "Your food was really good! Thank you for making some of it for us!" he said, happy to have something delicious smelling to eat. If it was as good as the food Francis had given him earlier, he wouldn't be disappointed. Arthur looked a bit hurt but mostly frustrated, glaring at the Frenchman. "You don't understand Alfred. Francis here would be happy to steal you away from me the minute he had the chance. We shouldn't risk having him in the house," he grumbled.

Francis smirked. "Don't worry little one. I'll be happy to make you some crepes. How does blueberry crepes sound to you? Arthur here can nibble on his rocks while you and I enjoy some real food," said Francis. Alfred nodded happily, walking over to a chair and struggling to get it. Arthur was about to argue but instead softened and helped Alfred into his chair. "There you are love," he said. "Thank you!" said Alfred, happily settling into the chair, sleeves unrolled again.

Francis grinned. "Ah mon lapin, he's so sweet! I hope he doesn't become a bitter old man before his time because of you," he said. "What makes you think that would be my fault?!" shouted Arthur. "Well he has the...feeling that he's associated with you some how, as much as I hate to admit it. As much as he reminds me of my petit Matthew, I have to admit that Alfred does remind me of you when you were little. You were the sweetest looking thing...until you opened that infernal mouth of yours," said Francis, sounding almost sincere.

"...England was little?" asked Alfred. "Some may argue that he still is," smirked Francis before getting a sharp elbow to the stomach. "Not in front of the kid! That's it. You are out of here," said Arthur angrily. "But if you kick me out, you will ruin my cusine. Surely, you will burn it. I refuse to have an attack on my culture carried out like that. Non. I leave after everyone's belly is full. If you are polite, perhaps I will allow you to have some breakfast with us as well if you're civil," said Francis. Alfred giggled as he watched the two men fight.

The giggling brought Arthur back to his senses. "If that is what it will take to get you out of my house, then fine. You may serve breakfast. Only breakfast. Then you must leave," he huffed. Francis smiled. "That's all I need. I will be leaving after breakfast anyways. I wouldn't want to keep my poor Matthieu waiting. Oui, I have the finest maids and servants looking after him, but nothing replaces a big brother's love," said Francis. "...Are you Matthieu's daddy?" asked Alfred. Francis laughed. "Non, but I hope to make up for it with love and pastries and cuddles and presents," he said.

Arthur's eyes widened, looking over at Alfred for his reaction. Alfred only smiled. "That sounds nice, but I like it better when grown ups hold your hand or roll up your arm pants," he said. Both Francis and Arthur had to smirk. "Oui, I noticed that your...arm pants looked a bit long," chuckled Francis. "Can I blame the lack of English skills on your mere presense, or is that pushing the envelope?" snorted Arthur. Francis only rolled his eyes. "Non, perhaps you aren't as influential as you brag," he shot back, pulling the food out and starting to serve it.

Alfred dug in, getting most of the food on himself. Arthur sighed but smiled as he wiped the child off. "So Alfred, where do you come from? Surely you have been living somewhere or with someone before you found us," said Francis. Arthur gave him a look of warning, to which the frenchman just looked confused but rolled his eyes. "What is the harm in asking? The boy is young and has been on what seems to be a peaceful land. He could possibly help us find some valuable information," said Francis.

"Francis, don't try to exploit the boy," said Arthur in a low voice. "What? You aren't the least bit curious? Alfred, tell us a little about yourself. It isn't fair for Arthur to take you in and treat you as his own if you keep to yourself," said Francis, syrup practically dripping from every word as he tried to sweet talk the toddler into giving him information about nearby gold or jewels. "Are there more people like you? I just want to be aware in case I run across them. Perhaps we can even arrange a reunion," said Francis. "Francis, last warning," said Arthur.

Alfred shrank in his chair as Francis gave Arthur some sort of retort and the two started bickering. He pushed away his half-eaten food and slid from the chair, choosing instead to go outside and hide under a tree. He didn't like it when adults fought. He had heard too many people fighting growing up. Alfred could hear them continue fighting, something breaking as well. All of a sudden, the fighting stopped and, after a pause, he could hear the two men start to frantically call his name.

"Alfred? Alfred! Where are you lad?" he could hear Arthur call. "Mon petit, I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you away by pointing out Arthur's eyebrows. Please come back. You have barely eaten your food!" called Francis, followed by what sounded like Arthur elbowing him in the gut. "I mean, we want you to come back. I am sorry you were startled," said Francis. "Better. Alfred, please come back. It's not safe for a lad your size out here. I just want you to be safe," shouted Arthur, the two men wandering outside. "I'll stay here in case he comes back. You search," said Francis. Alfred ducked behind the tree.

"Alfred? ...Alfred! There you are child. What are you doing out here? I'm so sorry we startled you, but you shouldn't run away like that," said Arthur, sitting down next to Alfred. The Brit gave him a look of concern when he realized that Alfred was crying. "What's wrong Alfred? You know neither of us were mad at you...or even at each other. We just talk to each other like that. You know, we're old friends..enemies...frenemies. It wasn't your fault or anything you did," said Arthur.

"Y-You were yelling...l-like they did in the village. Everyone was yelling and screaming or crying. They were all scared and running. A-And I didn't want anyone to fight. I-I tried to stop it. N-No one would listen. I-I tugged at their sleeves and pleaded and pleaded b-but…" Alfred hiccuped, "O-One of them decided to h-hurt me. I-It took me a long time to wake up and every one was gone. T-They were yelling death threats like you were. W-Why didn't they listen to me?" Alfred was now throughly bawling. Arthur was panicking. _Where was the Frog when he was actually useful?_

Arthur pulled Alfred into his lap. "Who did that? Who wouldn't listening? Why weren't they listening?" he asked, trying to rock Alfred. Alfred only started crying, now crying too hard to actually form coherent sentences. Arthur swallowed and picked up the boy, cradling the small coloney to his chest. "Shh shh. We're going inside and I'm getting you some warm milk to help you calm down. How does that sound?" asked Arthur, not expecting an answer, which was good because the only answer he received was a snotty shoulder.

Francis looked up when Arthur kicked the door open. "What's wrong? Is he hurt?" asked Francis, immediately standing up and glancing around the kitchen for any medical supplies he may have to use. "No, no. Traumatized is more like it. All of our yelling reminded him of what I think may be Roanoke. He was talking about people fighting and...we'll discuss the rest later. Right now, I just want to try to calm him down," said Arthur, rocking the child slowly.

The Frenchman nodded and moved to warm up some milk. "Don't try to talk to him about it now. Approach the subject sensitively when he is more calm, like tomorrow. If you push him, he will only become more upset and less willing to tell you anything. But don't leave the subject untouched. It will only fester if you don't show him healthy ways to handle it and discuss it. Do you wish for me to be there for the conversation?" asked Francis. While Arthur knew Francis wouldn't try to exploit a child while in this state, he shook his head. "No...I feel like the less people involved, the more comfortable he would be," he said.

Francis nodded understandingly and put the milk in a cup, handing it to Arthur. "Go put him to bed. I will try to find him some comfort food," he said. Arthur nodded and slowly made his way upstairs, rubbing Alfred's back gently. "Shh lad. I'm here. Let it all out. Let's take a nice nap together, hmm? Doesn't that sound nice. I think we both need to get a little bit of rest to unwind. We can talk about this later. You just worry about relaxing and letting me take care of you," said Arthur.

Alfred let out a whimper and buried his face into Arthur's shoulder, now hiccup-sobbing. Arthur sighed and continued rubbing his back, cooing to the small boy every now and again. He reached the boy's room and tucked him in before crawling into the bed with him, holding the boy close. "Shhh. You're alright. You're safe. Nothing here is going to hurt you. That all happened a long time ago," said Arthur, looking up and seeing Francis open the door a crack, surprisingly holding a plate of scones and a glass of water.

"Y-Youre not going to hurt me right? Y-You won't change and be mean like the others? You won't turn against me?" whimpered Alfred softly. Arthur's eyes widened, glancing at Francis who looked just as shocked. "I-I...of course not! Of course I wouldn't hurt you! Alfred, you and I are family now. Families may fight and get...turbulant, but I would never hurt you or betray you like that. You are completely safe with me. I may have done a lot of things in my life, but I would never hurt a young nation under my care," said Arthur.

"Oui. Arthur would not hurt you in that way Alfred. Never. Like he said, you are family. There may be times where he may make you feel upset and hurt, but he would never act out against you violently. Even him, a man with a temper, will refrain himself from hurting people, especially children. As much as I hate to say it, Arthur will make a good caretaker for you. I feel you both can learn from each other and help each other. He cares about you as much as I'm sure you will care about him," said Francis.

Alfred sniffed and peaked from where he had his face hidden in Arthur's side. "I-Is that a scone?" he asked shyly. Francis chuckled. "Somehow, I think you found a way to his heart," he said, handing Alfred the plate and cup. Alfred sat up. Arthur had to chuckle as well. "I think the food was the real key here. Thank you for your help Francis…I appreciate it. Your Matthew is very lucky to have something like you in his life," said Arthur. Francis smirked. "We shall never mention this day again," he said. "Deal," agreed Arthur.

Alfred nibbled on his scones before leaning against Arthur, eyes slowly starting to drift closed. Arthur put the food and water on the nightstand and ran a hand through Alfred's hair. Francis smiled. "I will leave you two alone. Perhaps you can come and visit my Matthew sometime. You know where my Canadian residence is, correct?" said Francis. Arthur snorted. "I'm sure I will stop by, if only to save the child from being fully corrupted by you," he said sarcastically. Francis simply rolled his eyes and left after saying his goodbyes.

Arthur then turned to the sleeping toddler at his side. He ran a hand through Alfred's hair, softly petting him. "You are going to be a handful, I'm starting to get that feeling. But I know you won't mean it. You seem like a sweet little kid...who has seen somethings. I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you from all of that...or to avenge what sounded like your death. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you never experience anything like that. To be betrayed by those you thought loved you...not even myself have experienced that," he said softly.

Alfred exhaled and nuzzled Arthur's side. "I suppose...it wouldnt' be too unheard of if I decide to take a nap myself. We both seem to need one. Hopefully, you feel a lot better when we wake up," said Arthur, making sure that Alfred was properly tucked in before laying down himself. Arthur hesitated before pulling the child closer, lightly hugging him before falling asleep. Francis snuck back upstairs to check on them before smiling and leaving, certain that the boy was in good hands. The boy he watched grow up was ready for one of his own.

 **Don't worry. Francis won't be very happy about the way Arthur becomes a father** **for** **the second time. On that note, Mattie will be making an appearance soon. Reviews appreciated!**


	11. Chapter 11: Cat and the Cradle

Alfred woke up sometime to find that Arthur was laying next to him. He blinked. Why was his dad sleeping with him? Was this a thing parents did with their kids? Whenever he was upset, Etsi would only send him outside or inside, depending on where she was, and make him spend some time alone until he had calmed down and gotten out of his hair. He tried to remember if she was like that with her tribes...but most of the tribes were ages older than him. Maybe it was just a European thing.

Alfred blinked when Arthur shifted, letting out a slight groan. He felt Arthur start rubbing Alfred's back softly. "Well, you got some sleep. Perhaps that will do you some good. I think we both needed to take a little bit of a break," he said. Alfred swallowed before scooting closer to his father, snuggling his face into Arthur's church. Arthur chuckled and ran a hand through Alfred's hair, continuing to stroke the coloney's hair. "Get some sleep lad. You're safe here," said Arthur, sensing that Alfred was close to being wide awake. Alfred let out a sigh before falling asleep.

Once Alfred was deep asleep, Arthur pulled away and placed the pillow he had been using in Alfred's arms so the boy had something warm and soft to hug. He went downstairs and started working on something to eat, making sure that what he made was carefully prepared. England was especially careful to make sure that everything was made exactly as the townswomen taught him, though he did start it a little bit aflame. He was certain that Alfred wouldn't mind the meal being slightly crisp.

After a couple of hours, Arthur heard a groggy Alfred make his way downstairs. He smiled to himself. "You're up just in time. I was about to wake you. Dinner is ready if you're hungry. Did you sleep well?" he asked. Alfred nodded. "I-I'm sorry I cried so much...I know it was probably troublesome…" he whimpered. Arthur blinked. "No! Nononono. You weren't troublesome at all. You were reliving what sounded like a traumatic experience. You're in a new place. You're in a new situation. Don't apologize. You could have reacted a lot worse," he said.

Alfred sniffed and waddled over to Arthur before hugging Arthur's leg. England blinked before smiling as Alfred sniffled and nuzzled him. "Thank you," said the boy slightly. Arthur smiled. "No need to thank me either my boy. Now, let's sit down and eat this meal. Hopefully, you like it. I worked hard on the meal. Do you need help getting into the chair?" he asked. Alfred nodded, face still buried in his father's pants. Arthur picked up Alfred and placed him into the chair.

He wiped Alfred's face, making sure that the boy's sudden runny nose was cleared up as well, before serving him food. "Eat up. Growing boys need their food," chuckled Arthur. Alfred brightened up at that. "...I can have as much as I want?" he asked. "As much as you can reasonably eat. Don't want you getting sick after all," said Arthur with a smile. Alfred nodded and dug in happily. Arthur chuckled. "How is it? Do you like it?" he asked. Alfred nodded. "I like it a lot. It tastes really good! Thank you for making it for me!" he said. Arthur smiled. "It was a pleasure lad," he said.

Alfred happily dug into the food, hoping Arthur wouldn't talk about what had happened. Luckily, Arthur didn't bring it up. "So, what do you want to do? I have some work for the evening, but I can spare and hour or two playing with you or doing something," said Arthur nicely. Alfred shook his head, already feeling bad for what he perceived as a fit a few hours earlier. "No, I wanna see you work? What do you do? Are you a...um...explorer? Or a king? You sounded imporant in Roanoke," said Alfred.

Arthur found himself smiling proudly. "No no, I'm not royalty. Nations aren't ever allowed to be in charge of their own nations. It turns out very badly if we ever try. No, what I do is I work for the British government. I am in charge of all the coloneys and maintaining order and standards the royal family has set forth. So, yes, while I work with the King very often, I am not the king. My work isn't that exciting. For tonight, I have to go over accounts and fill out paperwork. It won't be interesting to you," said Arthur.

Alfred shook his head. "I wanna watch you work," he insisted. Arthur sighed but nodded. "Alright, alright. I think what I'll do first is some sewing. I'm sure you're tired of tripping over your sleeves," he said. Alfred smiled. "Alright! That sounds like fun!" he said. Arthur nodded and started doing dishes, finishing quickly before taking Alfred over to the livingroom. "Here, why don't you help me by handing me the materials I need? I'm certain I have some scraps of cloth somewhere around here. Just give me a second to retreive everything," said Arthur.

Alfred nodded and sat on the couch, dangling his feet. Arthur dug around in his sewing chest. "Ah here we go. This will do nicely," he said, sitting down next to Alfred. "Could you please hand me the scissors and pencil you have sitting next to you?" he asked, gesturing to the chest next to the boy. Alfred nodded excitedly and handed him both of the tools. "What are you drawing?" he asked as he watched Arthur trace something onto the cloth. "Sit still my boy, you'll be able to see it when I'm done," Arthur said before starting to cut the cloth, handing Alfred the pencil once again.

Arthur started sewing the pieces of cloths together, letting Alfred help every now and again. Alfred was excited about the project, not caring that he didn't know what the project was. After an hour or two, Arthur smiled proudly and hid the object behind his back. "Now Alfred, I want you to close your eyes and hold out your hands," he said. Alfred looked confused but threw his hands out and closed his eyes. Arthur smiled as he put a small toy into the coloney's hands.

"Alright now lad, open youreyes and tell me what you think," said Arthur with a smile. Alfred slowly opened his eyes before beaming. "You made me a rabbit! It looks just like Cinnabunbun. Ooohhh, can I name her Bonny? Because she's pretty! That's her name, Bonny the Bunny," he chattered excitedly. Arthur chuckled at the boy's excitement. "You can name her whatever you wish dearheart. Just do your best to take good care of her, alright? I don't know when we will be getting another shipment of cloth, so we need to be careful with the amount we have," he said.

Alfred nodded vigourously before hugging Arthur tight. "Thank you so much! I never had a toy like this before! It's so nice and soft and I can even sleep with it at night! Right? I can take it to bed with me if I want to, right?" he asked, looking a little unsure for a moment. Arthur nodded. "She can keep you company. Don't worry, I am just happy that you seem so thrilled about the toy. Now you have something to play with while I do my work," he said. Alfred nodded and started playing.

Arthur smiled and started doing his paperwork, chuckling to himself when he heard Alfred talk to Bonny in his strange language. "Alfred dear, can you please use English? It'll help you get better adjusted," he said. Alfred blinked and slowly nodded. "Alright...I think I can do that. ...Will you get mad at me if I don't do it very good?" he asked. Arthur smiled. "No, but I'll be happy to gently correct you. It's not very good. It's very well. See? We're learning already," said Arthur. Alfred made a face but nodded, picking up Bonny.

"Okay Bonny, I think you'll like it here. The other bunnies left. They said that there's too many hunters in this village. But I'm kinda confused by that. Who would hurt a bunny? You guys are too nice and sweet and cute...like me! But I guess people will be mean to sweet things as well….Anyways, this is the living room. I'm not sure why it's called that, but it's where...living people live? I don't know. I live upstairs! I have to show my things! They're pretty nice. I have feathers and oh! You stay right here! I want to work on something!" said Alfred, placing Bonny next to his very amused father before running upstairs.

Alfred went upstairs to start working on something. Arthur sighed and paid it no mind. There wasn't much upstairs that the small boy could get into to make too much mischeif. England continued before finally finishing his paperwork late at night, a bit delayed due to the hectic past few days. When he was finished, Arthur went upstairs, got ready for bed, and checked on Alfred. He knocked on the boy's door. "America, have you gone to bed?" he asked softly.

There was no answer. Arthur hesitated before slowly entering his room, finding Alfred laying facedown on the floor, some sort of craft thing scattered around him. England chuckled. "Tried to stay up to finish your project as well, hmm? Well, I think it's time for you to take a break," he said, gently picking up the boy and ruffling his hair. Alfred let out a snort but nuzzled Arthur, relaxing at the touch. Arthur smiled and gently got the boy ready for bed and tucked the boy into the covers, carefully tiptoeing around the materials spread out on the floor.

Alfred snuggled into the blankets and fell asleep. Arthur smiled and put the stuffed bunny on the pillow next to the boy, who immediately pulled the bunny into a cuddly hug. Arthur kissed Alfred's head and left the room, making sure that all of the candles and any other hazzards were taken cared of before he went to bed. Arthur let out a small sigh before finally turning out the light and flopping onto his bed. _Is this what being a parent is like? This is a lot more work than Mother ever made it look._

Arthur woke up to someone tugging at his sleeve. "France, go away. I'd like to go one night without you bothering me," he groaned, trying to roll over. "Y-You said I could come in if I have any nightmares…" whimpered a small voice. Arthur blinked, a bit more alert now. "Hmm?" he asked, rolling to face the small voice coming from the dark. He blinked to clear his eyes, finding the small coloney standing in front of him. "I had a nightmare...a-and I don't want to be in my room by myself...I'm sorry. I-I know you worked really really late last night," said Alfred quietly.

Arthur smiled. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I was having a little nightmare as well. Would you like to keep me company? Maybe that way we can protect each other from anymore nightmares," he said. Alfred smiled and climbed into the bed, Arthur helping him by hoisting him into the bed. "There you go. Get under the covers and make yourself comfortable. Just don't hog the covers," said Arthur. Alfred nodded. "I promise! Is it okay if Bonny sleeps with us?" he asked, holding the stuffed toy. "How could we sleep without her? She may get lonely," said Arthur.

Alfred brightened up and snuggled close to Arthur. "Thank you!" he said, nuzzling his dad. Arthur found himself blushing. "N-No need for thanks. N-Now go to sleep," he said. Alfred nodded and quickly fell asleep, throwing a little arm onto Arthur's chest in an attempt to hug him while his other arm hugged Bonny. Alfred was even sucking the little thumb of the arm hugging Bonny. Arthur pulled him close. "I can't believe this. I'm smitten by you, and so quickly. I'll always be here for you my boy and do what I can for you," he said before falling asleep.

The two got closer through the next few decades until Arthur started to leave for England and the rest of Europe for his job. He had convinced the king to let him stay with America for the first few decades after his discovery, wanting to make sure the child was thoroughly intrigrated into the British culture and mostly trained and ready to interract with villagers and any dignitaries that may reach his shores. At least that was the originial goal. While the boy was eager to please, many things seem to fly over his head or appear as unimportant to him.

"But England, I don't understand why you have to go all the way over to Europe. You said your home is here with me. You do all your work from the house. Why do you have to go?" whined Alfred, tugging at England's sleeve. Arthur sighed and pried his arm away. "Alfred, we've been over this many times before. It's for your own good. My meetings make you stronger, helps you grow and keeps your people safe. If I don't go back, things could end up going bad for us," he said.

"B-But you leave me all alone with boring old humans and teachers that yell at me. Why can't I come with you? I'm sure I'd learn a lot more about Europe if I actually got to see it! I'll be good! I know I make a lot of accidents around the house and things get broken or lost around me...but I can be better! Please let me come with you?" begged Alfred, running in front of Arthur to give him the biggest and saddest puppy-dog eyes he could possibly manage. Arthur sighed.

"Alfred, you are too young to be away from your country. When you're older and more mature, you will be coming with me to Europe. I'll introduce you to the other members of our kind. But I'm doing it to protect you. Francis, for some reason, hasn't gone after you, not after what happened, but Spain would be happy to take you away. Half of those countries would be happy to take you away and the other half would be happy to do away with you in order to get any riches your land may hold," he warned.

Alfred swallowed. "B-But...Arthur the people are mean when you're gone. None of the kids that look my age want to play with me because they think I'm weird. The older townspeople avoid me because they know I don't age. I'm all by myself. C-Can't you wait until I'm older s-so I can come with you?" he asked. Arthur shook his head. "No. I'm sorry Alfred, but you need to get used to being on your own. You're a nation. All nations need to know how to stand their own ground and help themselves," he said. "I already know how to do that. I've been on my own for a while before I met you!" snapped Alfred.

Arthur frowned. "Alfred, temper does not become you. You know better than to talk back. Go to your room. Maybe in the morning, you will be willing to behave well enough to see me off," said Arthur. "B-But this is your twentieth trip. How many do you need to make?" asked Alfred, starting to tear up. Arthur frowned. "Crocodile tears do not help your case. Keep a stiff upper lip and go to your room. I don't want to see heads nor tails of you until you have calmed down enough to apologize," he said, ignoring how the young boy seemed to only deflate at that.

Alfred swallowed. "I-I just don't want to be alone again…" he whimpered, staring at his slippered feet before going upstairs, not bothering to look at his father's reaction. Arthur, on the other hand, felt his heart break a little. _Oh...That's why he's so upset. He's afraid of being left behind…_ Arthur swallowed. There was a knock on the door. He swallowed and recomposed himself before answering it, finding the neighborlady waiting for him. "Hello Arthur. I thought I'd help watch Alfred while you prepare for your trip. How is the little scamp?" she asked warmly.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "In all honesty, he was grounded due to talking back but...I think it may be due to something he isn't telling me about. Adeline, does Alfred have a lot of friends his age? People to play with?" he asked. Adeline shook her head, the old lady already turning to clean the pots and pans left behind by the nations' dinner. "No sir. To be honest, many of the children seem afraid of him or make fun of him. They do not understand him and the adults have been spreading rumors of him not being completely human...in fact of the adults claim to have seen him at the witchtrials sir," said Adeline.

England froze. "The witchtrials? Which one? Britain had declared that trials on witches be banned," he said. Adeline huffed. "Well, the British crown knows not all that goes on these shores. The people here are wild, prone to rebellious thoughts in the face of fear. It was a strange case, which is why I am surprised you haven't heard about it," she said. "Well, tell me what happened. As an offical of the British government, I need to be aware of these things," said England, his heart pounding.

"Salem sir, the Salem Witch Trials. A group of girls were speaking in tongues, hallucinating. The townspeople assumed they were witches and tried to hang them. A young boy had stopped them, pleaded for their lives, at least that's how the story goes. Some say they spotted the boy escaping the cart used for the bodies of the gallows," said the woman in a low voice. Arthur swallowed. He had never in his life felt so ashamed. _And I wrote him off...I knew nothing about what life was like for him here…_

"I will talk to the boy. He might be spreading stories. I know his tutor is from that area, could be he's just doing it in hopes of getting some petty revenge," said Arthur, stretching slightly. Adeline nodded. "Of course sir. Did you want me to watch him tonight then?" she asked. "No, if he is telling stories I will be the one to handle him. I need to give him a good lecture and I'm certain he will not be the most compliant afterwards. I couldn't have you deal with him when he is in that mood," he said.

Adeline nodded. "If you say so Arthur. Get some food in yourself as well. You're much too skinny for a man of your standing," she huffed, noting the uneatten plate of food on the table. Arthur chuckled. "Of course Adeline. I will see you tomorrow morning. Thank you," he said. Adeline nodded, quickly taking care of the dishes before leaving the house. When he was sure she was gone, Arthur took the walk of shame up the stairs over to Alfred's room. He could hear sniffling. His own throat tightened.

"Alfred...Alfred, I need to talk to you. It's up upmost importance," said Arthur. Alfred sniffled. "Are you here to yell at me again? You already sent me to my room with no supper.." trailed Alfred. It was one of the worst punishments he can think of. It wasn't like Alfred had grown up with much access to food. To be denied food was an extreme form of punishment back when he was in Roanoke, even with Etsi. He would have thought his father of all people would be more understanding of that.

"Alfred..I'm sorry. But, open the door. I need to speak to you urgently. Do you know anything about the Salem witchtrials? Adeline told me that the boys in town apparently believe you to be a witch that somehow survived the hangings," said Arthur sternly. There was a pause, a sickening silence that with every second only affirmed what was currently Arthur's worse fear. Alfred had died on his watch. Alfred has died...and Arthur had done nothing, failed even, to protect him.

After a bit, the door slowly opened and Alfred appeared, not looking at him. "I don't want to talk about Salem," he said firmly. Arthur sighed. "I'm sorry boy, but you don't have a choice in this case. Now how about you and I sit on the bed and you start explaining to me exactly what happened," he said. Alfred simply sulked and walked over to his bed, clambering on and hugging Bonny with a grumpy look on his face. Arthur sighed and pulled Alfred close. "They said that you died…" he said quietly.

Alfred swallowed. "The girls...I knew them. I was friends with them. I would visit their bakery and play with them pretty often when you were gone. They were nice and never pried about why we were new in town. B-But then they started going...crazy. Saying weird things. Doing weird things, but not like they were witches. More like they were...sick. I tried to tell the townsfolk...and they didn't believe me. They took the girls and threw them in jail. I tried to free them...I wasn't able to," he said.

Arthur hesitated. "...I was told that you died in Salem. That you...had to walk away from a cart full of dead bodies," he said slowly. Alfred slowly nodded, still not looking England in the eyes. "I know you said not to do anything that might give us away...but I had to do something. The girls...they weren't witches. They were nice. They were my friends...my only friends. Everytime I make a friend or find nice people...they leave me," said Alfred, mumbling the last sentence quietly. Arthur tried to blink away tears.

"How...How did you die?" he asked, knowing what the boy probably died from, but needing to hear it to make it more real. "T-They...put a rope around my neck and hung me.. I was so scared, trying to find a friendly face in the crowd. I remember the girls whispering prayers next to me and then something squeeze my throat before feeling a sharp pop. The next thing I remember, I was in a pile full of dead bodies, Anne's hair in my face. I got up and went home, sending word to tell you that I was going to the back up home because I think I was going to get discovered soon," said Alfred quietly, lying.

Arthur swallowed, pulling the boy close. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize something was off. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. You must have been so scared...Could you ever forgive me my boy?" he asked, holding Alfred tight. Alfred nodded. Arthur didn't need to know the truth, that Alfred had tried talking to the elders on behalf of the girls. When that failed, he had gone to the jail after dark and tried to use his magic to free them. One of the girls, delusional and half out of her mind, had started screaming even though he told her he was there to help. They screamed, calling him a warlock. One of the Elders came running, caught him red handed. The rest, well, was history.

Arthur held him tight, shaking slightly. Alfred decided to milk it for what he got. Can you blame him? He may have been decades, centuries old, but he still had the body and partially the mind of a five year old. "T-That's why I get so upset that you leave me...no one here wants to talk to me. I'm all alone. A-And everytime I make friends of my age, or as close to it as I can get...t-they all die...like Davey," he said, starting to whimper. Crap, his attempt to get out of trouble lead him into bad memories.

"Davey...Wait..That boy you wanted to bring flowers to? The one back in Jamestown?" asked Arthur softly. Alfred nodded "He...He kept getting bigger. Everytime I went back to let him know about the progress on the flower searh...he forgot me. He didn't recognize me, but I could recognize him perfectly fine even though he got old. Then, he started treating me like I was a little kid. A-And when I came back to him the last time...I thought he was young again...but he was in a box. It was his funeral," said Alfred quietly, barely within Arthur's hearing range.

Arthur blinked, slowly realizing what happened. "Alfred...was that the first human that you've seen...age? Age and then die?" he asked softly. Alfred slowly nodded, still not looking at Arthur. _That's two. Two things that I wasn't there for Alfred. Two promises to myself broken._ Every word out of Alfred's mouth was like a needle in the heart for Arthur. "It's why I don't bother making friends anymore. At least not with humans my age. They always...go away. Leave me. I'll always be by myself," said Alfred.

"But...you always have me around," said Arthur in a half hearted attempt to reassure the child. He felt like a hipocrite. He knew that the reason Alfred was alone was because Arthur left him alone, prioritizing work over his little warden. His responsibility. "I'm so sorry Alfred. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to have you go through through those experiences. I didn't want to leave you alone. I-It must have been horrible. I'm so sorry. I-I don't know how you must have felt," he said, squeezing half of the life out of America.

America choked. "It's fine England! It's fine! I'm used to it. You must really not like being lonely….Have you ever been lonely?" asked Alfred, trying to squirm out of his father's grip. England sighed. "Growing up, never. Well...to a certain point, but there were always people there for me when I needed. My people believe in magic, so an immortal child was nothing to bat an eye at. In fact, I had some human friends. I had my awful brothers and that horrible France. I had my mother. Europe is a small contient with a lot of countries in a small space, compared to what you're used to. I suppose...in comparison I had no reason to be lonely growing up," said Arthur.

"Well...you can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. So you never felt lonely?" asked Alfred, innocently looking at his father. "I'll tell you a secret. I did...I did and then I started exploring the world. And you know what I found?" asked Arthur in a low voice, as if letting Alfred in on a secret. Alfred climbed onto Arthur's lap, leaning in. "What? What did you find?" he asked, hoping that it might be the key to his own happiness. Arthur smiled and started tickling him. "I found you! My silly boy, what other treasure could I have found that may have been as great?" he asked.

Once he finally got Alfred to giggle, Arthur quickly pulled the boy close and held him, simply held him. "I'm so sorry Alfred. I...I know how you feel about being alone. I know how life was like for you before Roanoke with Aiyanna and the tribes. While I know you left out the...harder details, I know you've felt betrayal and deep seated hurt before. It hurts me, sincerely hurts me, to admit that...I promised myself that while you were in my care, you would never experience those things again. I would be there to protect you. I'm so sorry...I failed. I broke the most precious promises a caretaker could ever make for his ward. I don't expect your forgiveness...but I will do my best to make it up to you," said Arthur.

"How?" asked Alfred in a small voice. Arthur gently ran a hand through his hair. "My dear boy, I will make sure you aren't lonely, not while you are under my care," he said. Alfred perked up immediately. "You mean you won't leave any more? O-Or do I get to go with you?!" he asked excitedly. Arthur blinked. "No, I-" he was interrupted by Alfred jumping up, running around the room to stuff his things into a little drawstring bag that he had made for himself. "Alfred…" trailed Arthur. "It's going to be so much fun! We'll have adventures and everything!" gushed Alfred.

Arthur got up from the bed and walked over to Alfred, gently stopping the boy from rushing to his dresser by the shoulders. "Alfred...I'm sorry my precious boy, you can't come with me. You're stuck here. You are still too young to come on the boat with me, to travel too far from your country...but I promise, I will get you company. Someone like us. Someone your age who can age with you and be your friend," he said. Alfred blinked. "B-But...wouldn't they have to leave their country? How can they do that if they are my age?" he asked.

England smirked. "Well, what if they're another colony like yourself? They would technically still be a part of the British Empire, just another piece of a whole. I have a feeling that you would be able to go back and forth if you're at least geographically close," he said. Alfred blinked. "You...You know a colony my age?" asked Alfred. Arthur shrugged. "Not my colony, but a colony nonetheless. But don't you worry about the details. I'll iron them out smoothly with plenty of time to spare. In fact, don't be surprised if I come home with your new little friend with me," he said.

Alfred hesitated. It wasn't as good as having England around and yet...it was almost too good to be true. "...He'll be my friend? I'll have a real friend? A real chance of having a friend with someone who is like me?" he asked softly yet hesitantly. Arthur nodded. "Not only a chance, a fighting chance. You're a good boy Alfred, adventurous, yet a bit of a troublemaker. You're a sweetheart. People love you, don't you ever doubt that. Alfred, we really need to work on building your self-confidence," chuckled Arthur, ruffling America's hair.

Alfred smiled slightly. "Alright...I guess it's worth trying. I really don't have to be alone again?" he asked. ' _You were never alone…,'_ thought Arthur, biting his tongue. Instead, he said, "Of course my sweet. I'll make sure you have someone to keep you company. Don't you worry about it," he said, getting up. Alfred smiled. "Does that mean I can have dinner? I'm hungry?" he complained. Arthur chuckled. "I'm certain your plate is still waiting for you. Come along, let's go see what you can eat," he said.

After Arthur finished getting Alfred settled in, he finished making preparations for his departure the next morning, sent out some letters, and found a map of New France. "I may have failed to uphold my past promises, but I am the British Empire. I will get you your friend my dear boy," muttered England as he looked over the map. He got some initial plans made and smiled to himself. "I believe France is paying his colony a little visit. I suppose I'll just have to make a pit stop in England before I pay them a visit," he said, packing the plans away.

 **So Arthur got a peek into Alfred's tough childhood, but little does he know...it gets tougher. Will this drive him to become a better and more present father? Nope it will not because history. Reviews appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12: Matthew Takes a Guilt Trip

It was months before Alfred saw England again. The little colony even checked the docks everyday, asking if his caretaker had ever arrived. Everyday he was told to wait a bit longer. Finally, the dock supervisor smiled and walked up to him, used to the sight of the little boy who would come and wait for a couple of hours before leaving. "I have something for you lad. I was told that this was to go to an Alfred F. Jones. Is that your name by any chance?" asked the nice man. Alfred nodded happily. "Yep! That's me!" he said excitedly. The man smiled and handed him the letter. "Enjoy young man," he said before leaving.

Alfred excitedly tore into the envelope. 'Dear Alfred, I am happy to write you to let you know that I am on this way. By the time this letter reaches you, I should be three days away from port. I am also excited to let you know that I kept my promise. As I am writing this, your soon to be new friend is chattering happily at my elbow. He's a nice shy lad, so I hope you treat him delicately. We will see you in three days' time. Until then, do not cause trouble and mind your elders. -Arthur.'

Alfred immediately cheered. "He's coming back! He's coming back!" he said, jumping up and down. The dock workers smiled in amusement and let him celebrate, a couple of them offering him some candy. Alfred ran home, nearly running Adelina over. "He's coming home! He's coming home! Three days' time. And he's bringing me a friend! Isn't that great Adelina?" he asked. Adelina simply sniffed. "You tracked mud all over the floor I just cleaned. And is that chocolate on your face? Dinner is in an hour," she said.

He pouted. "But...But Adelina, Artie's coming back! And I get a new playmate! Why aren't you excited?" he asked. "Because that means there's two of you little hooligans running around that I need to take account for. I have a feeling that your Arthur won't be decreasing the amount of trips he takes to the Motherland," she said. Alfred swallowed. "But…" he started. "If anything, this is a good way for him to ease his guilt of leaving you alone. Now, you can no longer claim that as an excuse. I assure you Alfred, if I felt like he was doing this from the kindness of his heart, I'd be ecstatic for you," she said.

Alfred's face fell and he tried to hide the tears, turning to leave. He felt a hand come down on his shoulder. "But I am excited for you boy. You need a friend. Whether Arthur makes a good father or not, or whatever he claims to be to you, matters not if you have a good companion and good people around you. Hopefully this boy is able to put up with your mischeviousness. How about this? I help you set up his room. Perhaps we can even decorate it so he feels more welcomed," she said nicely, feeling bad for being so ruthless toward the child.

Alfred immediately cheered up. "Really?! You'll help me? And we can decorate it however I wat?" he asked. Adelina nodded. "But remember, you need to keep the boy in mind. He may be very different from you and prefer different things to be in his room. Your father said he was your age? Let's start with making him some clothes. That way he isn't without them in case Arthur wasn't able to secure any or bring much with him," she said. Alfred nodded. "Alright! I'll go get the sewing kit!" he said.

Alfred came back, beaming. "Can I help make the toy?" he asked. Adeline smiled. "How about this? You make the toy, and I help you smooth out any edges you may come across. That way I can prepare the boy a room. I suppose Master Arthur would like you two boys to share. Is that quite alright with you?" asked Adeline. Alfred's eyes widened. "Y-You mean he and I get to share a room?! We could build forts and tell stories and play!" he said. Adeline chuckled. "I will take that as a yes. I will go prepare the room. You work on the stuffed animal. Once you are finished, I will make the clothes," she said.

Alfred nodded and got right to work. His brother had always liked bears...and he couldn't really think of any other animals. Well, he could do a an eagle toy but the edges were going to be hard for him to sew unless he decided to carve a wooden toy instead. He doubted Adeline would let him play with knives. Arthur had freaked out when he discovered Alfred's little hobby, banning him from playing with knives under any circumstances. It makes Alfred a bit wistful, he really enjoyed whittling.

After an hour or two, Alfred had managed to create a lumpy...lopsided teddybear, with Adeline's help of course. Alfred had happily chattered her ear off as she did her best to smooth out some of the seams. "What do you think he'll be like? Will he like books? Will he like to climb trees? Do you think he'll want to meet any of my rabbit friends? What about gardening? Do you think he'll like gardening? I like gardening," said Alfred. Adeline gave vague answers, doing her best to fix his little mess before getting started on knitting some clothes for the new boy.

"Do you think he'll like me?" asked Alfred quietly. Adeline blinked and looked up at the change in tone. "What was that dear?" she asked. "...Do..do you think he'll like me?...My brother didn't like me...Arthur...Arthur only likes me some of the time….Do you think he'll like me?" he asked. Adeline was reminded of the many times she found the boy tugging at her heartstrings. This was one of the many reasons why the boy had a soft spot in her heart. She's seen his face fall every one of the times Arthur had left him behind.

She set aside her work before pulling the boy into her lap, reminded vaguely of the son she had lost decades ago. "You, my dear, are an absolute sweetheart, and absolute joy. You my dear, should never worry about what others think of you. You just be yourself, and that will always be more than enough. Anyone who doesn't take you for what you are does not deserve you," she said, gently pinching his cheeks playfully. Alfred made a face but leaned into her touch. "You really think so?" he asked. Adelina nodded. "I know so," she said. Alfred hesitated. "But that doesn't answer my question. What if he doesn't like me?" he asked.

"My dear child, he will learn to grow to you. Remember that this is a huge change for him. He's away from his land, from his home, possibly from those he loves. He may not understand the culture. He may not even understand the language. You need to be ready to help him adjust, be polite and thoughtful of him, and guide him as to the rules of this house and the culture. Arthur may not have the time necessary to do these things. As the one who has been here the longest, the responsibility is to you whenever there is not an adult around," she warned.

Alfred listened to her and nodded. "Alright," he said, somewhat understanding what she was talking about. Adeline smiled, playing with his nose. "Alright. I think we made enough clothes and toys for the child to last him a good decade. How about you go to bed and I clean up the room and make sure the house is spick and span?" she asked. Alfred nodded. "Alright! Tomorrow...can I help clean the house?" he asked. Adeline chuckled. "The only time you seem to want to is around the time Arthur comes. Alright, I suppose you won't get in my way," she said. Alfred grinned and ran up to his room.

Alfred found himself standing at the edge of the dock with Adeline waiting for him at a comfortable distance. "Do you see his ship?" Alfred asked a look out. "No lad, but worry not. He'll be here soon. The winds are strong and he is an experienced sailor. His captain is one of the best. They will come in one piece, no harm no foul. Just be careful where you step this time boy. Last time, we had to go fishing for you," joked the sailor. Alfred blushed. "I was excited and I tripped. Besides, I can swim! The neighbor boy taught me how to do it," he said. The lookout just laughed.

"Ship incoming!" shouted one of the men from the docks. Alfred jumped up and down. _He was coming! He was coming!_ The dock workers never made a big effort to keep an eye out for ships, but upon seeing the boy's reaction to his guardian coming home, along with how often the boy came to the docks to check if a return had been made yet, the dock workers decided to make an exception. Alfred's charisma and enthusiasm was that infectious. Almost of the burly men loved the little guy.

A large wooden ship broke the barrier of the horizon, floating upon the waves as it slowly approached the docks. Alfred could hear men shouting, preparing for the oncoming docking. America already know exactly where to move in order to stay out of everyone's way, giving a grin to Adeline when he heard one of the dockworkers with a spyglass call out the name of Arthur's ship. "He's here! He's here!" shouted Alfred, jumping up and down. Already, he could make out the silhouette of his guardian and a smaller silhouette of a boy next to him. _My new friend!_

Within seconds, he could hear Arthur giving orders. Alfred watched and kept a safe distance as a wooden gang plank was set down for the incoming men. Alfred couldn't wait, starting to run up the plank before his father's first in command stopped him. "I'm sorry lad, but I have orders. I'm not to let you onto the ship. Your guardian wishes that you wait for him at home. He has some paperwork and other business to attend to. Once he is done with that, he said that you will have all the time to talk with him and your new...brother… that you wish," said the man.

Alfred blinked. "He...He doesn't want to see me?" he asked in a small voice. That didn't make sense. Arthur always allows him on board, at times already awaiting him. "I'm sorry lad, not at the moment. You'll see him later. I'm quite certain of that. I'll be sure to let him know that you were disappointed boy," said the man nicely. Alfred nodded, feeling all his enthusiasm dying. "Alright…I'll go. ...Tell him I was excited to see him…" he muttered before slowly walking down the gang plank.

Adeline blinked when she spotted Alfred coming back alone. Around this time was when Arthur would usually dismiss her, telling her that he wanted to spend some quality time with 'his boy'. She would usually enjoy the day off, sometimes the next few days. When Arthur was around, she usually only showed up soley to clean the house. "What's wrong boy? Did he wish to see me? Did you get in trouble?" she asked, curious and confused as to why Alfred had been turned away.

"...I didn't get to see him," said Alfred in a tone of voice she almost couldn't hear. Adelina blinked. "What?" she asked him. "...I didn't even get to see him. Patrick sent me away. He said that Arthur was too busy for me, doing paperwork. I'm to wait at the house until he gets home," said Aflred quietly. Adelina frowned, outraged. "You are to do what? Does he know that you waited here for him? That you have been looking forward to his arrival ever since he left? That you dread him leaving you behind?" she asked, mostly to herself. The dock workers were staring now.

Alfred tugged at her skirt. "I-It's fine Ms Adeline. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't mean to make you mad too. Don't be! I'm used to it. Everyone in my life goes away eventually...I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Artie got sick of me the minute he got a new son," he said sadly, trying to calm her down. That only made her more infuriated, but one glance quelled her anger. The boy was near tears and all of the eyes on him only made him more upset. She let out a sigh before picking him up, rubbing his back. "Shh, it's alright. We'll go home. Perhaps he'll have a surprise for you to make up for it," she said. England always used material goods as an attempt to heal emotional wounds.

Alfred only slowly nodded, allowing Adeline to carry him home. On the walk back, he had fallen asleep, head on her shoulder with his cheeks all puffed up. "You remind me of Charles. Alright, let's get you to bed. If Arthur didn't want to see you on the docks, he will probably be taking his time home. Might as well get your rest, my dear," she said, slowly climbing up the stairs and placing the boy in his bed. She tucked him in and gently pushed his hair out of his eyes. "I'll have porridge on the table for when you wake up, your favorite," she said.

Adeline made her way back down the stairs, sighing at the sight Alfred had left in the living room. Handmade cards welcoming back both Alrthur and the new boy were laying on the table. A handmade banner was pinned to the wall. Pictures of the new family together spilled across the couch. The stuffed animal that he had made for the new boy, along with a box filled with the clothes the two of them made together, had a place of honor on Arthur's favorite table. "How could he deny the boy his love? How could he not see how much the boy loves him?" she muttered to herself.

Adeline shook her head and tidied the place up, knowing that if the house wasn't perfectly clean, Arthur would have a fit. She allowed for Alfred's little gifts to keep on decorating the house, knowing that Arthur was going to make Alfred clean it up right away, after Arthur had done his duty of showering Alfred with 'I love you's' and 'That's so sweet!' Adeline shook her head. It was times like these that she missed her little boy. She could have shown Arthur what real parenting was like.

Arthur was still not home by the next morning. Adeline frowned. Usually Arthur would sleep at home, believing that it was below him to sleep on the ship if he had access to quality inns or his own homesteads. Alfred came racing down the stairs excitedly before faltering at the lack of Arthur in the kitchen. "Is he still sleeping?" asked Alfred inocently. Adeline sighed. "I'm sorry dear, it doesn't look like Arthur has come home. Perhaps he got side-tracked by something on the ship. I'm sure he'll be home for dinner," she said gently.

Alfred swallowed before climbing up to the chair. "...Would you like something to eat?" she asked. Alfred nodded. "Is it okay if I wait for them at the end of the road? I'm sure he'll come soon," he said hesitantly. Adeline sighed. She doubted it but couldn't find it in her heart to deny him that, knowing that pointing out that Arthur may not be coming home that day either would only serve to break the poor boy's heart. "Alright dear, but you must be home by noon for lunch, alright?" she asked. Alfred nodded and ran out of the house, grabbing one of the muffins she made for him before going out the door.

Alfred waited outside by the road for three hours, playing with his bunny friends between glances down the road for his father. The bunnies, sensing his anxiety and loneliness, crowded around him, doing their best to keep him distracted from the passing time. After a few hours, it became clear that Arthur was not going to be making an appearance any time soon. With a heavy heart, he made his way back home, climbing onto his chair at the kitchen. Adeline looked at her and sighed. "He wasn't there?" she asked gently.

Alfred slowly shook his head. "No...Not even a cloud of dust. Not a passing horse or carriage. He's never coming home," he said mournfully. "I'm sure that isn't true. He must have a detour or possibly an injured horse. I'm sure he'll be coming home soon. Now, I hope you're hungry. I have a nice pie set aside for dessert," she said, hoping to cheer him up. Alfred shook his head. "I only came home because you told me too...I'm not hungry," he grumbled begrudgingly. Adelina sighed. She wasn't going to lecture the kid, especially when she knew how much he had been looking forward to this return.

"May I go outside and play? I-I'll be back before it gets dark...I just want to be alone…" whimpered Alfred. Adeline sighed. "Of course my dear. Just remember to wear shoes this time. And not to go swimming," she said. She had noticed that the boy tended to surround himself with nature whenever he felt the need to comfort himself. Whenver he had tantrums, she would just pick him up and place him under a tree, finding that the boy would calm down almost immediately.

"I think that that's a great idea. Here, I'll go ahead and turn it into a little picnic for you. You can have some sandwiches and an apple with your pie. I'll even throw in a nice serving of juice for you. How does that sound?" she asked nicely. Alfred hesitated before slowly nodding. "That sounds...good. Thank you Adeline," he said softly. She smiled and kissed the top of his head before handing him the basket. "No need to thank me child. Now go run along. Try not to get into too much trouble and remember, be back here by dinner. I'll spend the next few hours making sure that you have a good homecooked meal to return to," she said nicely.

Alfred nodded, hugging her leg before taking the basket and running outside, feeling slightly better. Adeline wasn't his mom...but more like a grandmother. A nice auntie. He went over to the lake, one of his favorite places to go to. He sat down and started nibbling at food, staring at the water before it slowly dawned on him...he didn't like water. Not like his father did. The reason he liked the lake was because his father's face lit up anytime they were around a body of water. He sagged and started eating. He should have just gone to the plains. That was really his favorite place to go.

Alfred finished his meal, feeling as if he had just swallowed nothing but strawdust. He got up, thinking he caught the glimpse of a lady's face in the lake. He blinked before walking over to the lake, leaning over to look at it. The face seemed to immediately disappear. "...Is someone there? Are you a lake spirit? I didn't think my land had those," he said hesitantly. There was no answer besides a sighing wind that almost seemed to push him away from the lake. Alfred sighed himself and walked toward the plains, the grass moving to lead him away. He found his favorite place, an old fallen tree.

Alfred looked around, making sure that no one could see him, before he sat down, daisies popping up around him. He smiled slightly, letting all sorts of wildflowers cover the old log. "I'm sorry you died Mr. Tree...but you're really cool. And the flowers make you pretty," he sighed, leaning back as he started making a flower crown. Bunbun sat down next to him, nuzzling his nose. He giggled. "You want one of these too?" he asked. Cinnabun wiggled her tail, nudging Bunbun to the side. "Alright...I'll go a head and make you one too," he said happily.

Alfred spent the next four hours making flower chains for all the local bunnies, grinning from ear to ear as they all toted their new accessories. That was until Bunbun ate Cinnabun's crown. "Hey! I worked hard on that!" he pouted before feeding Bunbun some food from his picnic and starting on a new crown for Cinnabun. "There you go. Good as new! Hopefully Bunbun won't eat this one," he said, glaring at the offending bunny. Bunbun just blinked at him before nibbling on the young nation's hand. Alfred giggled. "Alright, I guess I can't stay mad at you," he chuckled.

He sighed, seeing that the sun was in the position it normally was around dinner. "Alright boys...and Cinnabun. I'll be back after dinner probably. Father hasn't come back yet...but...maybe tomorrow he'll be here? But for now, stay away from the village. Some of them are hunting rabbits illegally. Try not to get caught because it's hard for me to get the traps undone without anyone catching me," he warned, having already saved a few of the bunnies. Unfortunately, some had been taken away from him brutally.

Alfred got up, dusting his pants before going to the house. "Is he back yet?" he asked. "I'm sorry my dear but...Wait! I believe I see a clowd of dust coming down the road. Perhaps it's him!" she said, spoting a carriage coming down the street toward the house from the kitchen sink. Alfred jumped up. "This isn't a joke is it?" he asked. "Of course not dear! Go out front!" she said, watching as the carriage stopped and a man and child were lead out of the back. Alfred blinked and raced out of the house.

Alfred ran down to the door, pausing. Matthew. His father brought Matthew with him. That was why Father had blown off Alfred...he found a new and better son. Matthew was always Aiyanna's favorite, what if Arthur prefered Mattie? H-How could his father do this? So many feelings hit Alfred like a fish to the face. No...he was not going to let himself be threatened. He was happy to see his brother again...but decided he was going to let his brother that he hadn't forgotten what had happened when they were last together. Alfred opened the door and raced over to England.

"You came back! What took you so long?" he blurted out without thinking. Arthur blinked, feeling a bit bad for the delay but immediately pushed Matthew in front of himself. "Alfred, don't be rude. This is your new brother. His name is Matthew. He comes from the land above you, Canada," he said. Alfred paused, looking at his brother. Matthew looked him, eyes widening with recognition. Alfred was satisfied that at least his brother hadn't forgotten him but immediately looked confused.

"This is my brother? Well, I guess our faces are kind alike," he said, pretending to have forgotten Matthew. He saw the look of hurt and panic in his brother's eyes. Alfred looked up at Arthur. "I'm hungry! What's for dinner?" he complained, deciding not to welcome his father home either. Usually, Alfred would gush about how much he missed his father and how badly he wished to go with Arthur to Europe. But not today. Alfred would say that he had never been hurt that badly before, but he remembered how Matthew left him and felt just as awful, if not worse.

Arthur huffed. "I'll go see what Adeline is making. You go up to your room, get Matthew acquainted with the place," he said. Alfred nodded, running into the house and upstairs without even glancing at Matthew. A disheartened Matthew sighed softly and followed Alfred into the house, trying to keep track of where his twin was in the house. Matthew slowly entered his room. "U-Um...America?" whimpered Matthew. "America? Right, Arthur must have told you my name," said Alfred nicely, still extremely bitter.

Matthew swallowed. "Don't...Don't you remember me?" he asked slowly. "Should I? It's not like we're actual siblings. I recall someone informing me that a Kanata rather not be my brother and abandon me. So no. I don't remember you. In fact, I hope to forget you once more," huffed Alfred. Matthew looked like Alfred had hit him. "I...Alfred that was a long time ago," he muttered. "We're nations. It wasn't that long ago. To be honest, I was lonely but if I had a choice between you and no one, I'd leave you behind like you did me," said Alfred acidly.

Matthew swallowed. "I-I'm sorry...I missed you..I really did. I had a good home and there was a bad fight and the man with the eyebrows took me here...b-but I thought things would be better once he told me that he found you. H-He's our father...isn't he?" asked Matthew. "Why? Did you want to steal him away from me?" growled Alfred. "Non! I already have my own Papa! One better than yours. I just...I just want my brother back. I'm sorry I hurt you and I left…" he said. "You betrayed me...casted me aside...You don't know what I had to see," whimpered Alfred, curling up on his bed.

Matthew blinked. He hadnt' seen his brother like this before. Usually, his brother was the idealistic, happy-go-lucky one out of the both of them. Hesitantly, Matthew climbed up onto the bed and sat down next to him. "What do you mean? What happened?" he asked. Alfred swallowed. "Have you ever...died? Have you ever died and come back before?" he asked in a small voice. Matthew slowly shook his head. "Non...Papa said it was possible and not to be scared if it happens though…" he said slowly, scared of his brother's answer.

"...It happened to me...Twice. One of the tribes...they killed an entire colony. My first one. A-And then in Salem. It's scary...being gone and then waking up with no idea of what is going on," he said. Matthew looked horrified. "Y-You lost a colony?" he asked. "Yeah...I wandered around after that until I found Arthur a century or two ago. I was on my own for most of that time…" he said. Matthew frowned, having a feeling that there was a lot more to that story.

"I'm sorry…" said Matthew softly. Alfred looked up. "You're just saying that," he huffed, cheeks puffed up. His brother sighed before jumping down. "I'm not here to steal Father from you...He forced me to come here after he hurt my big brother. But...I can go if you want me to. I don't think Arthur would really notice if I leave...He isn't attatched to me yet," he said slowly. Alfred blinked. "You would...leave again? B-But that's why I'm mad at you to begin with," said Alfred. Matthew blinked. "But...you don't want me around," he said.

"Of course I do! That's why I was so sad that you left the first time...I thought you really didn't want to be my brother...That you hated me. I still kinda think you do," said Alfred in the quietest voice Matthew has ever heard him use. Kanata blinked before hugging his brother tight. "I could never hate you. You're my brother. I love you a lot. I wasn't thinking when I said those things to you. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I understand if you could never forgive me...and you probably shouldn't. I promise I won't ever do anything like that to you again. Brothers forever," he said.

Alfred froze before hugging his brother tightly. "I love you too...I'm sorry I've been mad at you all this time...and that I pretended not to know who you are. And don't be afraid of Arthur. He's really nice...but he's not home really often. He also has a lot of strange rules, but his desserts are pretty good. He's fun sometimes too," said Alfred. Matthew nodded and pulled away. "Alright..where do I stay?" he asked softly. "Adeline said that you could stay in my room with me! Adeline is the nice neighborlady, but Arthur says she's a servant," said Alfred.


	13. Chapter 13: Arthur Returns

Arthur sighed as he went into the kitchen, setting his jacket on the chair. "So Adeline, how did he behave? Is there anything I need to be aware of?" he asked, loosening his collar as he sat down, waiting for her to serve him. Adeline presented him with a plate of mush, to which Arthur gave her a bewildered look. "Perhaps if you were here when you were expected, or needed, you would find the food and the atmosphere more pleasing to you sir," said Adeline simply. "I beg your pardon?" asked Arthur, eyes wide. "Oh don't worry. You're pardoned on account of being my boss, but not so much as being a father," she said.

Arthur sat up straight. "I will give you one moment to explain yourself. Then, I ask that you see yourself out for speaking to me in such a manner," he said. "First of all, I am not your maid. Yes, you pay me, but I come to work because of that little boy of yours. You are never around for him. He waits for you, needs advice for you, misses you. And where are you? Partying in Europe. I feel that he wouldn't be half of a handful if he had a steady father-figure in his life," she said.

"I am not his father-" "He tells anyone who listens that you are his father. You may be the closest thing to a father he has ever had in his life. Now I know I don't know about your wife, nor do I know much about your job, but I do know that that is your son. He is not your burden. Not your problem. Not a piece of luggage or something that you can distract by adopting a friend for him. He is your son. Your only son. You need to start acting like a father and giving that child the attention and compassion he deserves," said Adeline, hands on her hip.

Arthur was blindsided. "He...He introduces me as his father?" he asked quietly. Adeline nodded, happy that something happened to stuck from her little speech. "Aye sir. Sometimes he refers to you as 'Captain Father' because you own a ship. He idolizes you. You're his hero. Someday, he's going to grow old and he'll realize just how much you neglected him. Sir, you have a unique opportunity right here to try to be something better, be there for your son. I pray that you don't waste it," she said, urging him to take heed of her word.

Arthur stood up. "Leave. Report back in the morning. Perhaps you'll still have a job here. I must think," he said, waving her toward the door. She gave him a look before taking off her apron and leaving. Arthur leaned back, eating the mush that she made for him. _Alfred thinks of me as his father. I thought I told him I wasn't...He has a mother. Surely she would have set him straight on who the father was. He must be confused. That's it. He isn't aware of what we are as nations don't have sturdy family structures…_

Arthur sighed and went upstairs, determined to set thing straight with Alfred. He paused when he heard the boys talking in the room, speaking in that strange language Alfred used when he first came to the house. They were giggling and chatting with each other as if they knew each other their whole lives. Arthur blinked. They were brothers. Alfred had once mentioned having a brother that 'looked like him.' He didn't realized that by that he meant twins. England listened in, smiling as the boys moved furniture around and switched to english. He noticed that Canada's English was non existant and that he was mostly using French while Alfred translated for him. Stupid frog and his Louisianna territory seems to have at least come in handy for once.

The boys chatted until it was late, finally collapsing on top of each other. When they were finished talking, Arthur went into the room to find that the boys had pushed their two beds together. Matthew had the bed most north while Alfred took the bed to the south. The two of them were passed out on top of each other, look as if they had fallen asleep only out of pure exhaustion. Arthur chuckled slightly, picking up Matthew and gently changing him into a nightgown before tucking him into the bed.

Arthur then turned to Alfred, pausing. He hesitated before leaning closer to the bed, deciding to change the boy. The minute Arthur started to unbutton the boy's shirt, Alfred immediately started hugging his arm. He blinked. "C'mon lad. Let go. It's time to go to bed. Wouldn't want to keep your brother awake, would you?" he asked. Alfred sighed before slowly letting go of Arthur's arm. He smiled and quickly changed him, tucking him into bed. Arthur sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over both of their hairs. "Maybe Adeline is right. Maybe I'm not quite sure what I have here. I know I don't know what it was I got myself into," he said.

Once he was done tucking the boys in bed, he went to his own room and quickly changed. He glanced at the pirate hat laying on his desk before walking over to it. "I suppose it's time to put childish things away. I suppose Elizabeth was right in saying that I need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to better the empire. These boys if anything are the future...I should be there for them more…" he muttered. With that, he picked up his hat and coat and put them in his trunk.

The next morning, Alfred was surprised to find that someone had dressed him in his night clothes and tucked him in. Matthew, on the other hand, didn't seem at all surprised. "Francis used to do this all the time. He would even tell me stories. It's good to see that Arthur is nice too," muttered a half-asleep Canada. "Want to go down and get breakfast?" asked Alfred excitedly. Matthew only grunted, nowhere near being a morning person, and proceeded to faceplant into his pillow and fall asleep.

Alfred simply shrugged and climbed out of bed before heading to the kitchen. He was surprised once again by a full English breakfast waiting for him on the table. Arthur would usually only make those around the time of special occasions such as holidays. "...What's this?" Alfred asked, waiting in the doorway of the kitchen. "Think of it an apology for being so brisk with you and not coming home right away. I know you love breakfast and thought that since Matthew tends to be a bit of a late waker, we could talk," said Arthur.

Alfred frowned. "Talk about what?" he asked. Arthur simply pulled out a chair and nodded toward the food-filled plate. America sighed and climbed up on the chair, only starting to eat after Arthur sat down, nodded at him, and started digging in himself. "Well, for starters, I'd like to apologize for Matthew. I knew you had a brother...and that you felt betrayed by him. It was not my intention to reopen old wounds by bringing him home and into the family without checking with you first. I merely intended to find you company, a friend for when I can't be around," said Arthur.

"...It's okay. Matthew and I made up last night. I'm happy to have him back, to have a brother again. Thank you for bringing him," said Alfred. England nodded. "And second, I need to come clean. I have been...working two separate jobs. I decided that perhaps, I should focus on only one of them. I will be writing the queen and see what she thinks. But until then, I will be here, spending what time I have with you and your brother. Part of the reason I had to wait so long before coming home yesterday was because I needed to settle some...accounts my second job required," said Arthur.

"What was your second job?" asked Alfred innocently. Arthur swallowed. "I, erm, did some trade. I had to deliever some goods to another port further south. But worry not, I'm here to say. I apologize that I did not have this explained to you. I was not aware that my first mate just turned you away until Adeline so...kindly and bluntly pointed it out along with the fact that perhaps my methods of interacting with you were misguided at times," he said, mumbling the last part. "What does that mean?" asked Alfred, happily shoveling beans into his mouth.

"It means that...I did not realize that you saw me as your father figure. I always thought you thought of me as perhaps a guardian or mentor. And while I am humbled and honored to be thought of as your father, I also realize that I have not done anything to honor that role. I need to step up more to be the kind of father that you...and your brother deserve. I'm sorry for the long trips, the long time away. I'm sorry that my cooking isn't always up to par. I'm sorry I set the kitchen on fire regularly, that I lose my temper often. I'm sorry that sometimes I don't have the time, the energy, nor the patience to put up with your little shananegains, much less spend time playing and exploring you. I haven't been much of a guide as a nation," he said.

Alfred looked suprised and unsure of how to handle the apology. Arthur swallowed. Perhaps Alfred didn't even forgive him. "I-I know it's unforgiveable and-" he blinked, realizing that Alfred had somehow disappeared from his chair. _I suppose he doesn't forgive me._ England jumped when something crawled up on his chair. Alfred hugged Arthur, smiling. "I'm just happy you'll be home more. I love you Artie," he said happily. Arthur's heart melted and he found himself hugging the small boy tight. "I love you too Alfred. You are what's driving me forward," he said.

Alfred smiled and looked up at him. "Can we go to the lake? Oooh, ooh can we show Mattie the field? And the town? And Mr. McGuinness's horses?" he asked. Arthur chuckled. "As soon as you finish your breakfast and as soon as I can get Matthew up. You both need food, a good bath, and a fresh change of clothes," said England. Alfred wrinkled his nose. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes and I'm not that dirty!" he said. Arthur chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "There's grass in your hair and feathers. Your also a little sweaty. You need a bath sweetie," he said.

Alfred huffed but smiled. "Okay, but we get to stop at the chocolate shop….and a picnic!" he said. Arthur chuckled. "You want to give your brother the full tour and experience?" he asked. Alfred smiled before nodding. "Yeah! He had to see everything and do everything so he doesn't get left out! We'll have so much fun and we'll make up all of the time that we lost with each other! We can do that right?" asked Alfred excitedly. Arthur nodded, ruffling the boy's hair. "Go on, eat up," he said. America nodded, jumping down and racing over to his chair before hurrying his breakfast.

Arthur chuckled and went upstairs, deciding that it was best to wake Matthew so he would be out of his funk by the time Alfred got out of the bath. He entered the room, finding the small nation sprawled out on his bed. Arthur shook his shoulder. "Matthew?" he asked. Matthew's eyes flickered open. "F-Francis?" he muttered. England frowned. "No no child, It's me. Arthur. You're with me in New England. Now get up dearheart. Alfred is waiting for you. Breakfast will be cold soon as well. As soon as you two are dressed, bathed, and fed, we're going to go do some activities that Alfred had planned for us.

Matthew groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "I love him but he's too energetic. I don't wanna get up yet. It's too early," he complained. Arthur chuckled. "Oh trust me, I agree a hundred percent. Alfred just seems to be a morning bird, getting up with the dawn. Must be due to the early farmers. We'll just have to play along with it. You do get used to it after some time around him," said Arthur. Matthew only groaned some more before Arthur playfully helped him out of the bed.

Matthew dragged himself out of bed and went down to go get breakfast when Alfred glomped Arthur. "I need help with the bath. Adeline still has to help me," he said. Arthur sighed but nodded, getting the water and the tub ready for the boys. Once he was done, Matthew waddled over and the two boys allowed for Arthur to undress them and set them in the bath before scrubbing them and washing their hair. Alfred squirmed, hating baths. "It hurts. You're doing it too hard. Can I go out? There's not that much dirt on me," he said.

Matthew, on the other hand, seemed to love baths. He was quietly playing with the bubbles, making beards out of them, as Arthur washed his longer locks. As much as Arthur hated the long hair, due to Francis, he couldn't see any real reason to get rid of it. It made it a lot more easier for him to tell the two twins apart. Arthur could tell that Francis had washed Matthew often. Maybe Arthur should have Adeline bathe Alfred a bit more in hopes that it would help him behave better.

The two boys played with bath toys, something that kept Alfred occupied enough that Arthur was able to wash the boy's hair without him squirming too much. When they were cleaned, he pulled each of them out and wrapped them in a towel. Alfred giggled before running out of the room. "Alfred, get back here. I will not have you running through his house bumnaked!" shouted Arthur, getting up to chase the boy. "Noooo! No clothes! I don't need clothes, just a loincloth!" shouted Alfred. Matthew sighed before getting himself dressed, putting his shirt on backwards.

Arthur grumbled and managed to retrieve the ever elusive American before coming back to the bathroom, closing the door and quickly dressing the boy. "I do not pity that poor Adeline. Please don't tell me that you've been doing this everyday. Not only is it disruptive, but extremely inappropriate," huffed Arthur when he finished dressing him. Alfred giggled. "Only sometimes...She usually catches me with the towel before I can get to the door," he said. Arthur made a mental note of that. He really should talk to Adeline to see what tips and tricks she could offer him.

Matthew was smirking a little as he watched the two of them. "Is this how everyday in this house is? I guess I can get used to it. It got a little boring and quiet with only France and me," he said. "France and I. And unfortunately, or fortunately if you ask Alfred, yes. He's a bit of a hellraiser," he said. "You said a bad word," teased Alfred. Arthur simply rolled his eyes and cleaned up the bathroom. "Alright you little rascal. Time to go downstairs. I have your picnic ready. Get your shoes on along with your jacket. You too Matthew," she said. Alfred cheered and dragged Matthew downstairs.

Arthur made sure they were both ready for the outdoors, grabbed the picnic basket, and let Alfred lead the way. The first place they went was the lake. Arthur smiled. He hoped that Alfred had avoided the lake while he was away. When he was home, he would charm it when the boy wasn't looking so it was both safter but also more enthralling. The waves would sparkle more, fish came to visit more often, a water spirit or two would look after him and play with him even if the boy didn't realize it. He didn't want the illusion to be a disappointment if Alfred came back and found just a murky lake.

Alfred pulled them over and lead Matthew to the lake. Arthur waved his hand, smiling as the lake started to gleam and sparkle. For some reason, even the plants themselves would cheer up when he and Alfred came to this spot. Perhaps Alfred's presense helped Arthur's magic become closer to the land. Alfred grinned and started playing with Matthew some weird version of hide and seek. Arthur smiled and set out the picnic, making sure to keep a good eye on the two boys.

After the two boys got tired of playing by the waterside, they wandered over to the picnic blanket and ate. Arthur wiped their faces after and helped them pack up their picnic. "Alright, are we ready to go into town?" he asked the boys. "Yeah! Chocolate!" shouted Alfred, hugging Arthur's leg. Matthew smiled faintly before nodding. "Alright, I like chocolate," said Matthew softly. Arthur chuckled. "Alright, alright. I think I understand the enthusiasm. Let's go boys. First one to town gets the biggest bar!" he shouted before racing them there.

Arthur made sure to slow down and let the boys win once they got to town. Alfred and Matthew raced, but slowed down to a tie when they reached the candy shop. England had a sneaking suspicion that they didn't want to make each other upset by winning a bigger candy bar. He smiled and bought them both the biggest candy bar the shopkeeper had. He was proud to see the two boys getting along better than he or any of his brothers ever did. Heck, these boys got along better and behaved better than all of his combined adult brothers put together.

They each got a different kind of chocolate bar and decided to share with each other. He smiled, leading the boys into town. An old lady stopped by. "Arthur dear, are these your boys? Why they have gotten so big! And are there two of them? Was I mistaken in think you only have one, or am I seeing double?" she asked, fiddling with her glasses. Arthur chuckled. "No my dear, I have recently discovered that my boy has a twin. This is Matthew, Alfred's brother. We have recently brought him back from Canada. He's still having some trouble getting adjusted. He's only been here for a few days," he said.

"Oh, well they both look like the most darlingnest, sweetest thing. You dears come to my house and visit me some times. It gets so lonely. I can make you pies and cakes, so don't be shy," she said nicely before hobbling off. "...Are all the people here that nice?" asked Matthew. Arthur smiled. "Well they are certainly friendly," he said before blinking at Alfred's sullen expression. Matthew looked just as thrown off. "They're not all nice...some of the colonists are actually kinda mean," muttered Alfred.

Arthur frowned. "Alfred, don't call people names. They may be mean but it's more mean to call people names like that," he said. Alfred frowned before looking down and taking an angry bite from his chocolate bar. Arthur sighed before picking both boys up. "Alright, what do you two want to do now?" he asked, tickling Alfred's side slightly. Alfred started smiling slightly, fighting to keep his pout. Arthur smirked. "I know. How about this? Let's go on a little treasure hunt. We'll go home, you two boys play in your room for a little bit, and I go make a map for you," he said.

Alfred and Matthew blinked. "Really? You really will let us play pirates?" asked Matthew, knowing that Francis has talked about pirates and how England was such a fierce captain. Alfred grinned. "Can we dress up in your hats and jackets? Please please pretty please? Ooooh and your swords! I want to play with your swords and guns too!" said Alfred. "Absolutely not. You can play with the clothes and hats if you wish, but you will be staying far away from weaponry. Perhaps if you are nice, I can fashion the two of you a couple of wooden swords and teach you how to use them. But you will not, under any circumstances, play with any real weapons," he said.

Alfred pouted. Arthur sighed. "Alright...how about this. I'll let you play with the clothes, the hat, AND the boots, but you can also play with the medals. The cheap participatory ones that the crown hands out. I might even be able to find us some fake gold coins to play with as well. And I know for sure that I have a few treasure chests laying around on the boat somewhere. Perhaps we can even play on the ship for a bit. Most of the men are staying at the inn or paying visits to their families," he said. Alfred glanced at Matthew, who gave his brother a sullen nod. "Alright. I suppose we will take that deal. However, you must throw in dessert for breakfast," said Alfred in a serious tone.

Arthur managed not to chuckle and pretended to seriously consider the thought. _It's a bit ridiculous...but I did leave him hanging._ "I suppose I will meet your demands, but know that this is a one time instance. I will not allow you to haggle me to such means again," he said in a serious tone. Alfred giggled and Matthew's eyes lightened up. "Really?" asked Canada. England gave them both a smile. "Really. Now, come along. You two go clean up and keep to your room. I'll go ahead and make up a treasure hunt for you boys," he said. Both boys nodded and raced back to the house, immediately going to their room.

Arthur chuckled to himself and got to work setting up a little scavenger hunt, hiding bits and pieces of poetry for the two boys to use as clues. When he was done, he called the boys, raising an eyebrow at the fact that they had already raided his trunk of pirate clothes. "Alright boys, you two need to work together, otherwise you won't be able to find the treasure. Also, anything you find you have to share," he said. Alfred looked around before picking up a frog. "Do we have to share this frog then?" he asked. Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alfred, put the frog down," he said. Alfred pouted but let the frog hop away.

With no further ado, he let the boys run around the area around the house, letting out a sigh as he watched. He wished for his fae friends. Although Alfred's land seems to have some magic and fairies in it...Arthur couldn't get seem to get any contact with them. Every time his magic reached out to the magic of this land, it shied away from him. That was when he was able to sense any magic. For the most part, the magic of the land seemed to be extremely weak.

At this point, he figured it was because of his influence that America seemed to have any magic at all. As more people showed up and as Alfred grew up, Arthur suspected that the magic would fade. If it was contingent on Arthur's magic, it would fade as the land settled into itself more. In fact, Arthur feared the opposite may happen, that Alfred and his people would completely go to war with magic. As it was, they were extremely opposed to it, holding trials, hanging witches. If Alfred was any proof, the people would not embrace magic anytime soon. Poor Alfred completely shuts down whenever the topic of magic was brought up.

The boys quickly found the first few clues, eventually finding the treasure after a few hours. "Alright! Candy!" shouted Alfred, grinning happily. Matthew was also smiling, although a bit more shy. "There's toys in here too. Little wooden figures and marbles," he said happily. The boys nicely divided up the treasures with Arthur stepping in to mediae every once in a while. When they were done, Arthur brought them inside and made pancakes at Matthew's insistance. England didn't mind that much as it satisfied Matthew and met Alfred's earlier demands.

 **Sorry to say that this may be the last chapter as only a handful of** **people** **seem to be reading it and only one person has been reviewing. I think my summer hiatus may have killed the story. Sorry guys.**


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